The One
by cyrbrii
Summary: Galadriel sends a young Elf to join the Fellowship in order to make one of her visions true. "You will be met with great sorrow in the future to come, and afterwards, you will gain something everyone desires and be set on your destined path." The elleth's gift of sight will be helpful, but is it also a curse since she can't see her own future? UPDATED! NEW CHAPTERS!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I just wanted to say that this is my first fanfic completed, and I am so excited for people to read my stories. XD I do not own _Lord of the Rings_, that belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. Disclaimers for everything except my OC. Also, the way you pronounce the OC's name is not how it is actually pronounced. It is supposed to sound like Are-ee-ah-nay.**

"Haldir, what took you so long?" I rushed up to meet my brother. My dark brown hair contrasted my pale skin and made me stand out among my three older brothers who had blonde hair. My bright blue eyes were the color of the ocean, and they sparkled magnificently with the light that peered through the top of the trees. The clothes I was wearing was not what most elleths wore. I had a silver, long-sleeved shirt on top and silver leggings, a white transparent skirt that went to the top of my knees, and white boots that went to my knees on bottom. I was not like other elleths. I didn't like wearing dresses; however, Haldir forced me to wear them at times.

"Sorry, Ariane, I was on the border of the wood keeping guard longer than I expected. Some unexpected guests arrived." I looked around my big brother to see eight males following him. Taking note of the races of the individuals, I saw two Men, four Hobbits, a Dwarf, and an Elf who caught my eye. He had long blonde hair tied partially in back. His eyes focused on mine. In my opinion, he was one of the handsomest ellons I had ever seen, and that was saying a lot because Haldir kept me away from the other Elves. He wanted to protect me, but sometimes, he went a little overboard. The ellon continued to watch me, and I blushed softly before looking back to my brother.

"The Fellowship?" I had always been able to deduce who people were just by looking at them momentarily. Haldir nodded. "Where's Gandalf?" The Fellowship of the Ring looked down in despair. "He fell to the Balrog in Moria." Everyone looked to me. "Sorry, I'm invading your minds to learn things. I will stop. I have the gift of sight. I can see what you've seen by looking through your eyes. It was given to me by the Valar."

"You have been blessed." The Elf had spoken up. I smiled and then bowed my head in thanks. Most of the Elves I knew, appreciated my gift. They would come to me when they could not see the Lady of Light. Eventually some of them began to come to me more often. I was told that my ability to look into someone's future was usually more descriptive and accurate than Galadriel's, but I wasn't able to control my powers that well.

"Ariane, can you go to the Lady of Light and tell her we all are coming to see her?" I nodded and turned and ran away from the group. My footsteps were silent as I ran, but whenever an Elf runs, they are always light on their feet. My feet were swift, and in a few minutes, I was rushing up the stairs of the palace.

"Galadriel!" The elleth turned towards me. She smiled and held open her arms for me. I went up and hugged her. Galadriel and I were one of the few elves with great supernatural gifts from Valar. Since I was born quite some time after the Lady of Light, she had been a mentor to teach me how to use my gift. When I was not learning from her, I was usually with Haldir. He would teach me how to use a bow, swordsmanship, and other fighting techniques because I was a tomboy and refused to be a lady. I had to beg and plead Haldir to teach me. For a while, he didn't agree and wouldn't teach me. After several months of me annoying him, Haldir finally gave in just to get me to stop bothering him.

"My child, is the Fellowship on their way?" I nodded as she let go of me. "I have foreseen your future. You are to go with the Fellowship."

"Why?" I was unsure of what I could do to help. I knew I was an exceptional archer and swordsman, but I didn't know whether my skills would be helpful. I knew that I was as good as the other Elf archers; even better than most of them.

"Each of them lost someone dear to them, especially young Frodo. They will need a woman's comfort; not in that way." I had begun to scrunch up my nose at the thought of what was in my head. The Lady of Light had noticed this and laughed slightly at my expression. To someone who didn't know me, they would think of me as childlike. I can't really blame them. I didn't have a care in the world and went where ever my heart and soul guided me. Sometimes, my childishness irritated the Elves because I would pull pranks, hide clothing and objects, and was generally a loud nuisance.

"But, I've never left Lothlorien before. I have not even seen the border to the woods." I lied about the last part. I had once or twice snuck out of the woods.

"Im henia. (I understand.) But you are needed elsewhere. I also see your future turning bright after despair. Afterwards, your life will be set on its destined path." Galadriel stopped talking because we heard the Fellowship coming up the stairs. I knew that if was told to join them, I would. I felt kind of excited because I would get to journey across Middle Earth and not feel locked up inside the forest, but at the same time, I felt apprehensive about leaving.

By the time the Fellowship had reached the top of the stairs, Lord Celeborn had entered the room and walked up to stand with his wife. He saw me, and he hugged me briefly. The wise leaders of Lothlorien treated me like their own child even though I wasn't. They found me very amusing because of my childlike behavior. At first they didn't like that I caused so much trouble. Haldir would bring me to them, where I would be scolded along with other young ellons who did something bad. After a while, they realized that it was just in my nature. They began to treat me better, and I began to think of them as parents.

"The enemy knows you have entered here. Whatever hope you had in secrecy is gone. There are eight here, but there were nine that began on this quest from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him. I cannot see him from afar." My eyes flashed white, and my hair turned blonde. I gasped as I watched Gandalf fall to the Balrog of Morgoth. From the fiery whip, to the shadowy depths of the mine, Gandalf fought with the demon. Frodo Baggins, the ring bearer, screamed in distraught over the loss of his friend.

When the vision ended, I was on the ground in Haldir's arms. "You told me you were getting better control of the apparitions." I smiled guiltily at my oldest brother. "Do not lie about this. I need to know that you are getting control over the visions." I nodded, and Haldir sighed.

"What did you see?" Galadriel knelt down beside me. I looked at her then at everyone else that was there. The Fellowship stared at me. Lord Celeborn held a look of worry. He knew that my gift of sight was much more powerful than his and Galadriel's powers combined and that it took a lot of energy out of me. One time, when I was still a beginner with learning about my gift, a vision made me go into a brief coma that lasted for a week.

"I saw how he fell."

"You saw him and the Balrog of Morgoth." The elf of the Fellowship had spoken up.

"Yes," I stated. The rest of the members of the Fellowship looked down in grief as they relived the final moments of Gandalf's life. Their sadness pierced my heart. I wanted to comfort them, but how?

"You should go rest," Haldir said. "Go to the mirror and meditate." My brother helped me up and led me to the stairs.

"I'll see everyone later then." Galadreil smiled.

_Do not worry, you will be fine. You are improving your control. No matter what Haldir thinks, at least this time you didn't become ill after the vision passed._

* * *

**A/N- I just wanted to let you know that the chapters will vary in length from a couple hundred to a couple thousand.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I brand naur uireb cen. Hain dosta vi gil luin a calen. Egor abalagos celeb gwaew. Dant be eilia medlin edlothia." I paused after saying that. "Did that sound better?" Sam looked at me and smiled.

"Yes, but it makes it seem like I wasn't the one who said it." He picked at the grass. My eyes flashed white briefly; my hair became blonde for no more than a second.

"If you made a verse like that for Rosie, she would love it." Sam blushed and looked away. "Before you go back to the Shire, you should write her some poetry." He lay down and covered his head with his cloak. "Women love poetry."

"Does that include you?" Boromir had spoken up. "Or are you too boyish?"

"Just because I am a tomboy doesn't mean that I am not an elleth. There are some things that I like that are more girly than the other things that I like."

"Like what?" Legolas walked up to me. "Since you insist that you are a tomboy except for these 'girly things', I would like to know what they are." Why did he want to know? Couldn't he just take my word for it?

"Well, I like to do stuff with my hair. I like to draw; people say that I am quite good at it. I like to sing and dance. Um… I like bunnies… That's pretty much it. Everything else I do is boyish. I like to fight. I don't like to wear dresses. Though Haldir makes me wear them anyway," I said off to the side. "I don't care if I get hurt or rip my clothes when I run around, climb trees, or adventure into the mines. I like to play pranks on people."

"What is this doing in my bag?" Everyone who was still awake turned to look at Merry and Pippin who had pulled out a covered jar they had never seen before. They opened it and shouted. Dropping the jar, Pippin kicked the jar away from him.

"Relax you two," I said while laughing. I walked over and picked up the jar. Reaching my hand in, I pulled out a two foot long snake. Everyone gasped. "The snake's dead."

"Now that's just cruel. You almost gave me a heart attack." Pippin was breathing deeply. I laughed some more. "I guess you're right when you say you are a tomboy. Other girls wouldn't even touch a snake." Smiling, I nodded.

"I should go pack up stuff to take with me. Quel du." (Good night.) I began to leave, but I turned around and said. "Boromir, if you don't want to be surprised like the two Hobbits, you should move your shield. There's a dead snake under there too." As I continued to walk away, I heard a shout.

"Kill it. Kill it," Merry said.

"Sorry, I lied; I put a live snake there." Laughing I left the Fellowship quickly before they could yell at me.

My feet brought me home on their own. They led me to my room. I grabbed a bag and began to fill it with some clothes. I packed two pairs of dark green pants, two shirts (a grey, long sleeve and a green, three-quarter length sleeve), a dark grey tunic, and a blue dress. I also grabbed my intricate, silver circlet for special occasions. I didn't know what I would need the dress or circlet for, but I knew it was better to be prepared than not. I figure Haldir would want me to at least bring some type of formal clothing with me.

I gathered my bow, quiver of arrows, and my two slim, twenty inch swords, and I placed them at the foot of my bed with my other things. In a smaller bag, I packed a roll of cloth for make-shift bandages, a needle and thread for quick stitch ups for clothes or injuries, and some medicine for open wounds.

Before I went to sleep, I brushed my hair and braided it. It took a few minutes since my hair reached my hips. I changed into a simple nightgown, and then I went into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. Closing my eyes, I quickly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, I met up with the Fellowship. I was dressed in grey pants, a dark grey long sleeved shirt, and a navy blue tunic. I had pulled my black boots up to the top of my knees and tied the tops closed so they would stay there. My hair was brushed and braided again. Although I was usually very cheerful, my mood showed my uneasiness. I was nervous because I was leaving my home; the only place I had ever known. I didn't know what I should expect outside of Lothlorien.

"Quel amrun," (Good morning) I said. Legolas, Aragorn, and the hobbits looked up to me. Boromir and Gimli were not at the clearing. I figured they were washing up since everyone else was cleaner than when they came. The hobbits still had water dripping from their hair. "When are we leaving?"

"Not till midmorning," Aragorn said. I nodded and went to help the hobbits pack up their things. Boromir and Gimli walked up; their hair dripping wet. They went to pack up their items. Legolas walked up to me.

"Why exactly are you coming with us?"

"Galadriel had a vision of me joining you all. She told me that I will experience great sorrow, but then I will gain something everyone desires. I was told that I should go. I cannot exactly deny the Lady of Light."

"If she had this vision, why don't you look into your future to see what she is talking about?" My gaze drifted away from Legolas' face, and I looked down.

"My gift of sight is very powerful. I can look into any time, past, present, or future. I can connect my mind with another's, and I can see what someone has seen by looking through their eyes." I stood up straight and looked at the canopy of the forest. "My gift of sight is helpful for others, but it is like a curse to me." Looking back to the ellon, I said, "I can't see my own future, even things that have happened to me before now. If I do something for someone else, I won't see me. It will just look like they are doing it for themselves."

Legolas was silent. The Fellowship was quiet as well. "So you could look into the past to when you met us, but you wouldn't see yourself?" I nodded. "Then why did you receive this gift from the Valar in the first place?"

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter; I was born with it." I looked around at everyone. "But, I know that my gift was going to be used for something big, and apparently it is going to be used now. Come on, we have a long journey ahead of us. We should make sure we are well prepared." The Fellowship finished packing up. After everything was all packed up, we had breakfast. I ate some bread with butter spread over it, half an apple, some scrambled eggs, and some bacon.

A couple hours later, I joined the Fellowship near the river where we met up with Lord Celeborn and Galadriel. Haldir was there along with other elves. They all pinned cloaks onto each of us. My oldest brother smiled at me as he made sure my cloak would stay on. I could already see that he was holding back tears. Knowing that I would have a sad goodbye, I turned towards Celeborn to avoid allowing tears to come to my eyes. "Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our people. May these cloaks shield you from unfriendly eyes."

Galadriel came forward. She motioned to some of the elves behind her. An Elf bearing a bow stepped up and handed it to her. "My gift to you Legolas is a bow of the Galadhrim. It is worthy of the skill of our woodland kin." I watched as he pulled the string back to see how taut it was and knew the bow would be put to great use. A second Elf brought two daggers to Galadreil who then handed them to Merry and Pippin. "These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen war. Do not fear Peregrin Took; you will find your courage."

The third Elf brought forward a ten yard strand of rope. "For you Samwise Gamgee, elven rope made of hithlain."

"Thank you, my lady." I watched as he eyed the daggers Merry and Pippin received. "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?" Galadreil smiled, and Sam looked down at the ground feeling foolish for asking. I thought to myself that Sam wouldn't need any more weapons other than the dagger at his side. It would be very helpful to him in battle.

"And what would a Dwarf ask of the Elves?"

Gimli shook his head and said, "Nothing." He paused for a second. "Except to look upon the Lady of the Galadrhim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels found beneath the earth's surface." She laughed at his statement. Gimli turned around bashfully. "Actually, there was one thing," he said turning back towards the Lady of Light. "No, no, I couldn't possibly ask. It's impossible. Stupid to ask."

"It is quite all right. What is it you would like?"

"Well," Gimli began. "All I ask of you, is for one hair from your beloved golden head." Galadriel smiled and motioned for Haldir to come forward. He handed her a small knife. She took it and cut some of her hair for the dwarf. "Three?"

"To show you that your kindness is appreciated and to repay an old friend who asked of me three times for a strand of my hair," she said. Turning to Aragorn, she placed a hand on the jewel around his neck. "There is nothing greater I can give than the gift you already have. Her love for you is great, but I fear her grace is diminishing."

"I would have her join here kin in their voyage to Valinor."

"That choice is no one else's but her own. You have your own choice to make Aragorn: to rise above your fathers or to fall into darkness along with them. Navaer. (Farewell.)" Aragorn bowed his head to Galadriel. With the hand that was still touching the jewel, she touched his chin to bring his face back up to see hers. "You still have much to do. We shall meet again, Elessar, but after many years have passed."

"Navaer," said Aragorn. Galadriel turned to Boromir. He looked away, but she turned his face back to hers.

"There is nothing you can do to prevent the fall of Gondor, but you can serve your country with honor." The Lady of Light touched his shoulder. From behind her, she revealed a new scabbard to his sword. "The one you have now is cracked. If you do not replace it, you can ruin your sword. Accept this as a token of peace between the Elves and the Men of Gondor."

Boromir knelt to his knees and bowed. "Thank you," he muttered.

Lastly, she walked before Frodo. She handed him a small vile filled with water that had light emanating from inside it. "My gift to you Frodo is the light of Earendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out. Farewell Frodo Baggins. Use it well." Galadriel leaned forward and placed a kiss on his head.

She turned to me. "Ariane, your gift of sight will become helpful in the future, but as you know, you cannot see your own. I have seen that you will gain something everyone desires. As your eyes were blessed by the Mirror of Galadreil, giving you a far greater gift than mine, you were entrusted to help Men with the battle of the One Ring." I nodded. "You will be met with toil in the future to come, but do not lose hope and stray from your destined path."

Before she left she motioned for the last Elf that was standing behind her. He walked up to me with a bow and quiver of arrows. "I do not need a new bow. The one I have works fine." Galadriel laughed.

"You will break the one you have now if you continue to use it. I have seen you at the archery practice area every day for the last eight hundred years. The arrow tips are dull, and the bowstring will become useless because of how often you practice." I looked down at the ground. I knew that I needed a new bow for a while now. In fact, I had been making a new one. Looking closely, I saw that the bow being handed to me was the one I was working on.

"How did you get this?"

"Although you have many hiding places for things, some of them are becoming more noticeable. Haldir found this two days ago. I had some of the Elves that are better at making weapons finish it for you. The mellyrn wood is difficult to carve, yet somehow you did it, but that only makes sense because you never give up. Please accept this bow and quiver of arrows." Sighing, I took the bow and arrows that were on my back and exchanged them for the new ones. Galadriel hugged me.

"I will miss spending time with you."

"As will I," she said.

When she walked away, Boromir, Gimli, and the hobbits headed towards the boats we would take to travel down the river. Aragorn, Legolas, and I stayed to speak with Celeborn. Haldir stayed back so he would get to say good-bye to me.

"Every league you will travel south, the danger will increase. Mordor Orcs now hold the eastern side of the Anduin. Nor shall you find safety on the western bank. Strange creatures bearing the White Hand have been seen near our borders. Very seldom do Orcs travel in the light of the sun, yet these have done so. You are being tracked. By river you have the chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros." Celeborn handed Aragorn an elven knife which was crafted to be light in weight but sharp like an eagle's talon. Aragorn thanked him, and he and Legolas went to join the others.

"Ariane," Lord Celeborn said. I stepped in front of him. He reached out and hugged me. "Stay safe on your journey. I want to be able to see you again: alive and well." I nodded, and he walked away. Haldir came up to me. I had said good-bye to my other brothers, Rumil and Orophin, this morning when I left our home to meet up with the Fellowship. I had always been closer to Haldir because he was the one who took care of me more, although most of the time he was yelling at me and saying I needed to become a lady not a warrior. That didn't stop me though.

"I wish you didn't have to go." I smiled up at him. "But since it is the Lady of Light's request, you cannot say no."

"I will be fine Haldir. Even though I am the youngest of the four of us, I can take care of myself, and if I need help, there are eight others that can help me." My brother smiled at me. He had tears in his eyes.

"It will still take some getting used to you not being here all the time. You have never been away from me for too long. We have been together ever since you were born. Even if you caused trouble, you were always smiling… I'll miss you." After he said that, I rushed into his arms.

"I'll miss you too." I allowed a few tears to escape. A few minutes had passed. I knew it was almost time for me to leave. "I should go help the others." He nodded and hugged me one last time then placed a kiss on my forehead.

As I walked up to the boats, Legolas was putting some supplies into them. "Ah, Lembas," he said to Merry and Pippin. He quickly took a bite of the Elvish waybread. "One bite is enough to fill a man's stomach." Legolas placed the bread onto the boat and walked away to grab more items.

"How many did you eat," I heard Merry ask Pippin.

Pippin looked to Merry and said, "Four." I laughed when I heard this. The two hobbits looked at me guiltily.

"I guess that goes to show what a hobbits' stomach is like." After I said this, I went and placed my things in the boat with no one in it yet. Once everything and everyone was loaded onto the boats, we set off. Boromir was with Merry and Pippin in the last boat. In the middle boat was Aragorn, Sam, and Frodo. I was in the lead boat with Gimli and Legolas.

Even though Elves and Dwarves did not get along well, Legolas and Gimli seemed like they were becoming friends. I never understood why the two races hated each other. Being child-like, I didn't care about the fact we were so different. I thought each side could benefit from the other, no matter how different we were. Somehow, I had managed to think well of the Dwarf in front of me, which kept away the negative influence of my people.

While we were travelling down the Aduin River, I heard marching footsteps with my sensitive ears. I turned to my right, and connected eyes with a large creature. It looked like a ginormous Orc, but it was different. I stood up in the boat. There were shouts of protest to what I was doing. My eyes turned white, my hair blonde, as I saw the wizard Saruman talking to the creature I had seen running. He called it and the others Uruk-hai.

The vision ended. I opened my eyes and saw that I was underwater. There was hardly any air in my lungs. Panicking, tried to swim to the surface, but the current was strong. I heard a splash. Arms wrapped around my torso, and I was pulled to the surface. I started to cough, choking on water that had entered my throat. My body was pushed back into the boat. The boat swayed a little as the person who rescued me climbed back onto the boat as well. Closing my eyes, I coughed some more as my body caused the water to leave my lungs.

When I opened my eyes, I was staring directly into Legolas' blue ones. "Are you alright?" I saw that his hair was damp, and water dripped onto my face. Clearly, he was the one who saved me and got me back on the boat. I nodded in response to his question.

"Thank you, Legolas."

"Don't stand up in the boat when we are in the middle of the river."

"Sorry, I saw people in the woods running."

"Who did ya see lassie?" Gimli had spoken up.

I thought for a moment. _Did I see someone, or was that a part of my vision?_ "Nothing; it's nothing. Probably just some animals."

When the sun went down completely, we stopped on the west side of the river. We set up a small fire, and Sam began to cook a few things. I watched as Aragorn walked over to Boromir.

"Gollum, he's followed us since Moria. I thought we would lose him on the river, but he's too clever a waterman."

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous."

"So why don't we prevent him from following us anymore?" The two Men looked at me. "We could just stop him here."

"You mean kill him?"

"No, I meant tying him up or something."

"Do we know if he plans to tell Mordor of our whereabouts? He was poisoned by the ring; it is probably forcing him to follow us. If we stay far enough ahead of him, he should cause no trouble." I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, okay, you can think that if you want to._

In the background, I heard Sam urge Frodo to eat. Frodo denied it, and Sam told him that he had noticed him not eating or sleeping. "I'm here to help you Mr. Frodo. I promised Gandalf that I would."

"You can't help me Sam, not this time."

"Frodo, you should at least take a bite of some Lembas," I said. "It will give you the strength for the journey, even if you don't want to eat a lot." I handed a piece to Sam. Then he gave it to Frodo. He took a small bite and gave it back to Sam. "The two of you should get some sleep." They nodded and settled down to rest for the night. Everyone else began to lie down to sleep as well.

"I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city." Aragorn stomped away from Boromir. Although I had not heard the full argument, it was obvious it was about Boromir wanting to head for Minas Tirith. Everyone saw how tempted Boromir was by the One Ring.

I went and lay down near the fire because my hair was still wet. When we had stopped, I went into the woods about ten yards away to change into dry clothes. My wet clothes were lying near the fire as well. I pulled my cloak hood over my head to help keep me warm. I heard someone lie down next to me. I opened my eyes to see Pippin. "Comfortable?"

He nodded and then said, "I figured that since you fell into the river today, I would help block some of the night air."

"Thank you Pippin, but it's not necessary. Elves don't feel the cold as much as other races." The hobbit blushed slightly.

"Can I still sleep next to you?" I could tell that Pippin seemed to like me. Although I was an Elf and he was a Hobbit, I thought it was cute. I don't think I can reciprocate his feelings though; I considered our relationship to be more like brother and sister since I had pulled the dead snake prank on him. If he had been my brother, I think that he would have pranked me back. I had a strange feeling that I did like someone though. It felt like I might like someone else in the Fellowship even though I had just met them all. It was as if I was fated to fall in love with one of them.

"Yes," I said. "But Pippin," I began, "I don't have feelings for you."

"How did…," He blushed some more.

"I have the gift of sight, remember. Plus, I can see it in your eyes." With one of my hands, I patted one of his. "Good night, Pippin." He closed his eyes. I looked up at the stars. Awestruck, I continued to gaze at the night sky. Never before had I seen the stars so clearly. Sometimes I would sneak to the edge of the forest or climb to the very top of the trees to see them.

"What are you looking at?" Snapping out of my trance, I sat up and saw that Legolas was sitting on top of the huge rock nearby.

"The stars; I've never seen them like this before." I smiled. Nodding, the ellon looked to the sky as well.

"I had never left Mirkwood until now. The stars amazed me as well." I giggled.

I got up and moved over to the rock Legolas was sitting on and climbed up. "Aren't you chilled a bit because your clothes are wet?" He shook his head. "Well, you should at least sit near the fire so your clothes can dry." Climbing down from the rock, I turned around and waved. "Quel du." (Good night.)

"Quel du," he said after I had lain down. Then I closed my eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

When I woke up, Sam was cooking breakfast. Only a few of the others were awake. Aragorn, Legolas, Frodo, and Merry were eating. I walked over to the group. "My lady Ariane, would you like some breakfast?" Sam held out a small plate of food.

"I think I will just have some Lembas. I am usually not very hungry when I wake up." He nodded and then brought his hand back to himself. I heard Pippin, Gimli, and Boromir make their way over to get some food from Sam. "Aragorn, how far from the falls are we?"

"At least half a day's travel by water," he said after he swallowed his mouthful of bacon. After I had a bite of Lembas, I began to pack things up. I noticed that my clothes were still a little wet. Not knowing what to do about it, I twisted my clothes to ring out as much of the water I could, and then I just threw it into my bag with the rest of my clothes. After a few minutes, the others joined me.

We began to travel down the river again about twenty minutes later. I never realized how boring it can be to travel by boat, so I began to sing. I was facing behind all the boats and just leaned against Legolas' back. I didn't hear any objection to me leaning against him so I was able to sing to my heart's content. At first, I was quiet, but my voice gradually became louder. When Legolas heard the peaceful Elf song, he recognized it and began to sing along with me. Soon, Aragorn joined in as well. The song was a common Elf tune. It told the story of how the Elves had woken up the trees. The Fellowship listened to our song.

When the song ended, I heard someone clapping. I turned around and saw that the four Hobbits were applauding our performance. I laughed to myself. Leaning back again, I closed my eyes to rest while I could. A few minutes passed, and I fell asleep.

I woke up when Legolas patted my shoulder. I wiped my eyes. He pointed ahead to the large statues of past kings holding out their hands with their palms facing us. "The Argonath; the Pillars of the King." About ten minutes later, we pulled to the western shore. We began to unload the boats for the night.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats, and then continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Aragorn instructed us about what we would do later that day.

"Oh, yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil- an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks. And after that, it gets even better. Festering, stinking marshes as far as the eye can see. This is really where we are headed?" Gimli looked at Aragorn in disbelief.

"That is our road," the ranger replied. "I suggest you take some rest to recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Gimli growled to himself. Legolas walked over to Aragorn.

"We should leave now."

"No." I saw Legolas look at him questioningly. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We need to wait for the cover of darkness." The ellon looked towards the woods.

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near… I can feel it." I walked over to the two.

"When I fell in the water yesterday, it was because I saw something." The Elf and the Man waited for me to continue. Leaning in, I whispered, "It was a brigade of Uruk-hai. They're on a mission. They're hunting people… They're hunting us."


	5. Chapter 5

"Frodo?" I heard Boromir call out to the young Hobbit. He sobbed. "Frodo. What have I done? Please, Frodo. Frodo, I'm sorry." I ran faster. Suddenly, I felt like I ran into something. Turning around, I saw that nothing was there. It was as if a gush of wind had made me falter, but there was no breeze. "Ariane?" I turned around again and saw Boromir.

"Where's Frodo?" The man sobbed. Anger rolled off my tongue as I spoke. "What did you do to him? Where's Frodo?!"

"I tried to take the Ring from him. I frightened him, and he ran off." I walked up to him and punched him in the side of his face. Then I grabbed his collar, bringing face to look at mine.

"Do you realize what you've done? You jeopardized this entire mission. You destroyed what little foundation the Fellowship had left."

"Find the Halfling!" I turned around.

"What is it," Boromir asked. I rotated back to face him. "What? What is it?"

"Uruk-hai," I gasped. "Come on, we have to go save Frodo." We began to run; me in front with Boromir following behind. As we started to get closer, I heard Merry and Pippin.

"Hey! Hey, you!"

"Over here," Pippin shouted after Merry called out. "Hey!"

"Over here!"

"This way!"

"Merry! Pippin! No!" I didn't know where exactly Frodo was, but I was sure the two friends were trying to lead the Uruk-hai away from him so he could escape. "Pippin!"

"It's working." We were getting close to them.

"I know it's working. Run!"

"There over on the bridge!" We ran faster. A group of the mutated Orcs was heading toward Merry and Pippin, while the group behind them began to catch up to them. I quickly grabbed an arrow and shot it at the Orc closest to the Hobbits behind them. Boromir ran and grabbed the handle of the axe an Orc was swinging towards Merry.

"Ariane," Pippin said gasping.

"Boromir," Merry said. The two Hobbits began slicing their small swords at oncoming Uruk-hai. I rapidly fired many arrows, and as the Orcs came closer, I stashed my bow and drew the two slim swords on my back. The Orc closest to me fell as I sliced my way past him. Boromir blew into the horn of Gondor.

"Merry, Pippin, run!" The horn sounded again. Boromir and I fought off several more Orcs. I looked past the small army we were battling to see a large Uruk-hai, the one I had seen while the Fellowship was on the river. He raised a bow loaded with an arrow and pointed at Boromir. "Boromir!" I pushed the man out of the way. I screamed when I felt the arrow go through my right shoulder, stopping halfway. I had never experienced pain like this. Of course being a tomboy, I would get hurt quite often, but nothing like this.

"Ariane," Pippin said.

"Run, you two," I yelled, leaning against a tree, but they stood there wide-eyed. I heard another arrow come flying toward the four of us. Boromir ran in front of me, and the arrow ran into his chest. "Boromir!" He fell to his knees but quickly got back up to start fighting again. After a few seconds, a second arrow came and impaled him in the stomach.

Kneeling again, Boromir almost fell over. He stood back up and fought off three more Orcs before a third arrow pierced him in the middle of his body. Falling to his knees one last time, Boromir winced in agony. The Hobbits screamed, and they ran at the Uruk-hai, swords raised. Two large Orcs swept them up in their arms. "Merry! Pippin! No," I screamed. Tears began to come to the brim of my eyes. The pain was preventing me from protecting the Hobbits.

"Leave the she-elf and man to me," their leader said. The rest of the Uruk-hai continued on past us.

"Boromir, no," I gasped. An arrow was aimed at him. Suddenly, Aragorn appeared and slammed into the Orc. The arrow went flying off into the forest somewhere. Aragorn quickly evaded and attacked. He stabbed the Orc's right thigh with the weapon given to him by Celeborn. The enemy removed the dagger, licked some blood off it, and then threw it at Aragorn who deflected it with his sword. He went forward and parried a blow from the Uruk-hai's strange sword.

Aragorn sliced off its arm and stabbed the Orc's stomach. Slowly, Aragorn's sword was pulled deeper into its body. He pulled it out and then chopped off the Uruk-hai's head. Breathing deeply from the close fight, Aragorn looked and saw Boromir lying on the forest floor. "No…"

"They took the little ones."

"Hold still." Aragorn turned to me. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," I said to him, holding my arm, below the injury.

"Frodo," Boromir asked. "Where is Frodo?"

"I let Frodo go."

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him."

"The Ring is beyond our reach now."

Gasping, Boromir said, "Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir."

"It's true."

"But you redeemed yourself just now," I replied with tears in my eyes, mocking me, and daring to fall.

"You fought bravely," said Aragorn. "You have kept your honor." He moved to pull an arrow out of Boromir's body.

"Leave it," he said and grabbed Aragorn's hand. "It is over for me." Boromir swallowed. "The world of Men will fall. And all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin." With the deteriorating strength Boromir had left, he grasped Aragorn's shoulder.

"I don't know what strength there is in my blood, but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall… nor our people fail."

"Our people," the dying man exhaled. "Our people." I saw tears in Aragorn's eyes as he reached for Boromir's sword. He handed it to him, and Boromir clutched it close to his body. He tried to sit up, but his eyes faded and his body fell back. Legolas and Gimli arrived. "I would have followed you my brother… my captain… my king," he said as he died.

I brought my left hand to my face and let the tears fall. Legolas came up to me and hugged me. I latched onto him with my good arm and began to sob. Legolas stroked my head to try and comfort me. "Be at peace… son of Gondor." The tears continued to cascade down my cheeks when I heard Aragorn say this. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return."


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting on a log, I watched Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas remove the arrows from Boromir's body, place it in a boat with his sword, shield, and the horn of Gondor, and push it onto the lake where it was carried to the falls of Rauros.

"Hurry, Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Aragorn looked across the water to see the second boat. "You mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

"Then it has all been in vain." We all turned to Gimli. "The Fellowship of the Ring has failed." Aragorn walked up to the Dwarf and ellon, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Not if we stay true to the others."

"What about Merry and Pippin," I said. I hadn't spoken up after I had cried into Legolas' shoulder.

"We will not abandon them to torture and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." We nodded. The three grabbed their weapons and cloaks. "Let's hunt some Orc!"

"Yes!" Gimli was excited.

"Guys?" They were about to head into the forest. "I still have an arrow in my shoulder, and we need food." I knew that we probably wouldn't eat while we chased after our friends, but it was better to have it than to not. Aragorn grabbed a bag and threw in some Lembas. Gimli grabbed a couple other things. Legolas walked over to me. He reached for the arrow. "Wait, you have to cut off the end. If you pull it through with all the feathers, it will make the wound bigger."

Legolas grabbed one of his knives and began to saw the end of the arrow off. I gritted my teeth, trying not to scream out. "Wait," I gasped. Legolas stopped. "I'm going to hurt myself." I grabbed a bunch of my tunic and put it into my mouth. I looked back to the Elf and nodded. He began to saw the arrow again, and the pain came back. I tried to hold back the shouts of agony, but they left my mouth, muffled by the cloth between my teeth.

Once the end was gone, he pulled the arrow the rest of the way out of my shoulder. With my left hand, I wiped away the tears that had dripped down my cheeks. I told Legolas that I had some bandages and medicine in the smaller of my two bags. After the medicine was applied, he wrapped the cloth around my shoulder and the upper part of my arm. "Better," he asked when he was done.

"Much," I replied with a smile even though I was still in pain. "Okay, we're ready." The four of us ran off into the forest on a mission- to find our Hobbit friends and rescue them. Hopefully, we made it in time.


	7. Chapter 7

We were chasing the squad of Uruk-hai across the eastern side of the Ondolo River. Aragorn was lying on the ground with his left ear on the rocks by us. While we were tracking the Hobbits, we would stop occasionally so we could rest, and Aragorn would do many different things to make sure we were heading in the right direction.

Legolas and I were looking ahead to see the Orcs. I was breathing heavily. Normally I wouldn't become winded with all this running, but with my injury, our journey was taking its toll on my body. "Your shoulder is still bleeding." I looked at my shoulder and then my arm. There was blood dripping off the tips of my fingers. Legolas walked up to me, made me sit down on a rock, pulled the sleeve of my shirt down so he could clearly see the wound, and began to remove the bandages that were wrapped around my shoulder.

"Don't," I stopped him. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. At this rate you lose so much blood that you will faint. Let's change your shirt and reapply the bandages." He got a shirt out of my bag and gave it to me. While I was changing, he washed out the bandages with some of our drinking water. After I changed shirts, Legolas pulled the shirt down some so he could put some more medicine on my wound. The top of my shirt was still pulled off my shoulder, and Legolas wrapped up my shoulder and arm again. As he finished tending to my injury, I said:

"Thank you." Smiling he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of my head. I blushed a light shade of pink.

"You are a part of this team. You need to take care of yourself." My blush became darker. _What's this feeling?_

"Their pace has quickened." We turned to Aragorn as he whispered, "They must have caught our scent." He stood up and began to run again. "Hurry!"

"Come on, Gimli!" I looked behind me. Gimli was just catching up with us. "Here," Legolas said, extending his arm. I took it, and he pulled me up onto his back.

"What are you doing? I can run."

"Because of your running, your wound won't stop bleeding. I'll carry you; you just rest up." I laid my head on the back of his shoulders. I took a deep breath, and although he had been running and fought with Uruk-hai several days ago, his natural scent reminded me of what the air smells like after it has rained. I smiled and tightened my arms around his neck more, not to strangle him, but to show my gratitude for his actions.

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food, no rest, and no sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell." Gimli only began to complain like this when we would start running again. Legolas started on a slow sprint. I closed my eyes to rest.

I ended up falling asleep for a little bit. When I woke up, something was reflecting the sun's light and glaring at me. "What's that light?" I lifted my head up from Legolas' shoulder.

"You awake?"

"Yeah," I whispered. We were coming to a stop. Aragorn kneeled down and picked something up.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lothlorien fall."

"They may yet be alive," Legolas said once he had put me down so I was standing.

"Merry… Pippin…" The depressing feeling I had was lifted for a moment or two. _Wait, he said, "may." That means they could have died. Ariane keep control over your emotions. You might find them dead._

"That means they are less than a day ahead of us." Aragorn started to run again. "Come." Legolas turned to me.

"I'll be alright for now." I started to run after Aragorn. "Gimli, we're gaining on them!"

"I'm wasted on cross-country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters; very dangerous over short distances." I laughed to myself. Although his complaints were beginning to become annoying, some of them were funny.

As we came to the top of a hill, Aragorn said, "Rohan- home of the Horse-lords." While we gazed across the land, Aragorn continued speaking. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us." Legolas ran ahead a bit, and I followed him. "What do your Elf-eyes see?"

"They turn northeast," I shouted, and then I gasped.

"They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard."

"Saruman," exhaled Aragorn. After he said this, we began to run again.

"Keep breathing; that's the key. Breathe."

"They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." Legolas said confused.

"Someone else is there with them. It's no longer just Uruk-hai. There are Orcs as well." Everyone turned to me just as my hair turned brown again, my eyes blue. I looked at them. "What?"

"You didn't faint after one of your visions."

"Yeah, I don't faint all the time." I started to run past them. "I gain more control after each one passes." I was getting further and further ahead of them. "Come on, we have two Hobbits to save." When I heard them begin to follow me, I ran faster. "We're coming Pippin. We're going to save you and Merry."

* * *

**A/N- I do not know how an Elf's body works, but obviously if they had a serious wound that didn't stop bleeding there would be consequences. For the next couple chapters, Ariane is gonna be kinda out of it due to blood loss.**

**I also didn't mention this at the beginning. I used lines mostly from the movies, but there are some added things from the books (I haven't read them) that I got from online sources. For example, the Elvish language I got from a dictionary that translated Sindarin to English English to Sindarin. Also, when Gimli received the three hairs instead of one, Galadriel was making up for denying Feanor a somewhat friend of hers.**


	8. Chapter 8

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled during the night." I looked to Legolas who had just spoken. My feet were ready to give way to my weight. My legs were trembling, and to disguise it, I never stayed still. I walked back and forth or swayed side to side. I kept lying to the others, saying that I was fine. I heard horses' hooves pounding the ground. Finally, my legs gave out, and I fell to my knees. "Ariane!" Legolas ran over to me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm just tired from running the last couple days." The pounding of hooves became louder. The ellon quickly scooped me into his arms. "I'm sorry." He followed Aragorn behind some rocks.

After about a minute, Aragorn walked away from the cover of the rocks. "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" The brigade of horsemen turned around and came back toward us. Soon, they had us surrounded with their weapons pointed at us. This should not be happening. What is going on in Rohan?

"What business do two Elves, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?" The four of us remained silent. I leaned my head against Legolas' shoulder. Exhaustion was taking over. I could tell that my wound was getting worse. It was not healing and was probably infected. "Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name, horse-master, and I will give you mine." _Gimli, don't be stupid._

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf… if it only stood a bit higher above the ground." I jumped out of Legolas' arms and drew an arrow, placing it against the string of my bow. Legolas swiftly did the same.

"You would die before your stroke fell," he stated. Aragorn moved in front of us and pushed our arms down. Gimli exhaled nervously.

"Legolas, Ariane…," Aragorn warned us. He turned back to the leader of the Riders of Rohan. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Ariane of Lothlorien. We are friends of Rohan and of your king, Théoden." The leader looked down slightly.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe; not even his own kin." He took off his helmet, and the rest of the horsemen raised their spears and swords. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king… and claimed lordship over these lands." Aragorn looked at Legolas and then Gimli.

Everyone saw my eyes and hair change color. I watched Théoden, old and frail, speak to a man dressed in black. The foreign man smiled deviously as he spoke to the king of Rohan. I opened my eyes when the vision ended. The remainder of the Fellowship looked at me. I breathed deeply and said, "He's telling the truth."

"What is this sorcery?" The rider looked at me confused.

"I have the gift of sight." I was breathing hard and couldn't get more words to come.

"She can see what you've seen through your eyes," Aragorn said. Then Legolas said:

"She has visions of things that are past, present, and future."

"Well, my company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that, we are banished." The four of us were confused. The leader leaned towards Aragorn. "The White Wizard is cunning." He turned to Legolas. "He walks here and there, they say... as an old man hooded and cloaked." Then, the leader turned to glare at me. "And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets."

Legolas stepped in front of me protectively. "We are no spies," Aragorn said. "We are tracking a pack of Uruk-hai heading westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."

The horseman hesitated before saying, "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them in the night."

"No!" My knees buckled again, and Legolas grabbed onto me before I fell to the ground. He held me against his chest. I stood there in shock; my eyes wide open.

"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Gimli had spoken after my cry.

"They would be small. Only children to your eyes," Aragorn said to the leader. The horseman shook his head.

"We left none alive." Tears came to my eyes. "We piled the carcasses and burned them." I looked past the fleet of horsemen and saw white smoke rising over a hill. I began to sob and knelt to the ground. Legolas fell to the ground along with me; I was still in his arms.

"Dead?" The leader looked at Gimli. He nodded.

"I'm sorry." There was a brief moment of silence, and then it was broken by a whistle. "Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses walked up, a white one and a brown one. "May these horses bear you better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." He went and mounted his own horse. "Look for your small friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north." The four of us watched the Riders of Rohan gallop off.

We mounted the horses. I sat in front of Legolas on the white one. My legs hung off one side. When we reached the pile of burning bodies, everyone got off the horses except for me. "Ariane?" I looked at Legolas. He smiled softly. "What happened to the cheerful elleth I met in Lothlorien?"

"She saw people she cared about die in front of her." I smiled weakly. "At least Galadriel's vision is coming true."

"Things will turn bright for you again. That is also a part of the Lady of Light's prediction." He helped me off the horse. Suddenly, we heard Gimli gasp.

"It's one of their wee belts." I stared blankly at the piece of leather in his hand. Aragorn let out a scream of contempt and kicked a helmet. He fell to his knees. "We failed them." My eyes turned white, and my hair followed suit and turned blonde. I saw Merry and Pippin crawling away from the skirmish. I inhaled deeply.

"They are alive." Aragorn said exactly what I was about to. He was looking at the ground. "A Hobbit lay here. And the other. They crawled. Their hands were bound." He followed the strange markings to find some rope cut through. "Their bonds were cut. They ran over here. They were followed. Tracks lead away from the battle… into Fangorn Forest." I walked up to the tree line.

"What madness drove them in there?" Aragorn headed into the woods fearlessly. Gimli soon followed, and Legolas started too as well. He turned around, just as I fell to the ground.

"Ariane!" He came over and picked me up.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. It seemed that all I did the last few days was apologize. It's funny; I never reconciled with people I had pranked or aggravated.

"We need to get you someplace where you can rest for a day or two."


	9. Chapter 9

I heard Gimli rustle some leaves and then spit. "Orc blood." I felt Legolas run some.

"These are strange tracks." I opened my eyes and looked at the ground to see craters about two feet in diameter.

"This forest is old… very old. Full of memory…"

"And anger," I added to Legolas' statement. There was loud grunting, squeaking and moaning that sounded through the trees. I smiled. "They're talking to each other." Legolas turned around, and so did Aragorn.

"Gimli!" The Dwarf looked at the three of us. "Lower your ax," said Aragorn while motioning with his hand. The trees stopped speaking to each other once Gimli's ax was at his side.

"They have feelings, Gimli." I spoke softly.

"The Elves began it." Legolas gazed up at the canopy of the trees. "Waking them up, teaching them to speak."

Gimli looked at us in disbelief. "Talking trees." He began to walk toward us. "What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings."

"How about what to do to Dwarves who speak about them like they're not even there," I said spookily. Gimli shuddered at the thought. "You must learn to respect creatures of the earth and not just appreciate what is beneath it."

"Aragorn, pen edennas." (Something's out there.) Legolas marched twenty feet to the right.

"Man cenich," Aragorn asked. (What do you see?) I spoke up saying:

"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas set me down on a log.

"Do not let him speak; he will put a spell on us." Everyone grabbed their weapons tighter. "We must be quick." They all turned around. A bright light appeared. Gimli threw an ax. Legolas and I shot an arrow, but each one was deflected. I watched Aragorn's sword turn red-hot. He immediately dropped it.

The voice of the wizard spoke. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits." _That voice… I know that voice. But who... who's voice was it?_

"Where are they," demanded Aragorn.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect to see. Does that comfort you?"

"Who are you," Aragorn demanded again. "Show yourself!" The light surrounding the wizard faded. I saw the wizard that had made me join the Fellowship in his stead. "It cannot be."

"Forgive me," Legolas said. "I mistook you for Saruman." Then he knelt down.

"I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."

"But… you fell."

"Through fire and water." My eyes and hair changed color again. I watched the wizard battle the Balrog of Morgoth. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak… I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth." The wizard captured the fire demon's attack with his sword and used it against him. He stabbed it in the chest. The shadow plummeted down the side of the mountain. "Until at long last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead…," I saw the cosmos rush past me. "And every day was as long as a life age of the Earth, but it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I'd been sent back until my task was done."

The vision finally ended. I stood up from the log I was sitting on. "Gandalf!"

"Gandalf?" The wizard looked confused. "Yes, that was what they used to call me." Aragorn nodded in confirmation. "Gandalf the Grey… that was my name."

"Gandalf," said Gimli while chuckling.

"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."


	10. Chapter 10

"One stage of your journey is over. Another begins. We must travel to Edoras with great speed." The four of us were following Gandalf through the forest.

"Edoras," asked Gimli. "That is no short distance."

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king."

"Yes, and it will not be cured easily," Gandalf answered Aragorn.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor Hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank tree-infested-"

"Gimli," I warned. Then the trees grunted.

"Ah, I mean, charming… quite charming forest."

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains."

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend," Aragorn said.

"Hmm?"

"You still speak in riddles," I said. We all laughed slightly.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up… and find that they are strong."

"Strong?"

"Gimli!" It seemed like all I was going to do in Fangorn was keep the Dwarf in line.

"Oh, that's good."

"Stop your fretting, Master Dwarf." Gandalf started walking again. "Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be."

"This new Gandalf is more grumpy than the old one."

"No," I began. "He is just getting tired of your disrespect of the forest."

"Gandalf," Legolas said getting the wizard's attention. "Can you heal Ariane?" The old friend turned toward Legolas who held me in his arms.

"Certainly," he replied. He walked over, and said a spell. Instantly, I felt the wound closing up. Once he finished the incantation, he said to me, "That arm will be sore for a couple of days. I cannot get rid of the fever you have though, so once we reach Edoras, you should take it easy." I nodded.

After a distanced walk through the forest, we exited it. Gandalf began to whistle. It started off in a high note, and then it was lower. A white horse came galloping over the hill.

"That is one of the Mearas; unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." The ellon was entranced be the beautiful creature. I gasped and jumped out of Legolas' arms.

"Shadowfax!" As the horse reached us, I walked up and embraced the animal. When I backed away, I stroked the stallion down the front of his face. It uttered a sound that showed me that he liked being pet there so I continued to move my hand down his nose.

"You know this horse?" I turned to Gandalf and nodded.

"Lady Galadriel surprised me on my birthday one year by calling the horse to Lothlorien. We spent the entire day riding through the forest. I even sneaked out of the wood a little bit. He is truly the most gallant of all horses." I moved my attention back to the horse and began to stroke his mane. "He has even come back to Lothlorien every now and then. It seems that he is quite fond of me." Gandalf smiled.

"Of course the Lady of Light would do that. She cares for you as if you were her own." I nodded in agreement. "Shadowfax is the lord of all horses," the wizard explained to the rest of the Fellowship. "And he has been my friend through many dangers."

* * *

**A/N- I don't know if Elves celebrate their birthdays since they are immortal, but Ariane is child-like and is treated by others that way. This is why she received a gift from Galadriel.**


	11. Chapter 11

The five of us set up camp for the night. Aragorn had gotten a fire going. Gandalf was facing Mordor. Legolas was lying against a rock. I was lying on his chest. Aragorn wandered over to Gandalf. "Legolas?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for taking care of me." The ellon began to stroke my hair which I had unbraided.

"There is no need for you to thank me. I am helping you because you needed it, and you are one of the fairest elleths I know." I blushed lightly. Did I just get called beautiful by this ellon I had just met?

The next day we began towards Edoras again. My fever was slowly getting worse. I sat on the white horse in front of Legolas again. I was holding the reins, and he had his arms wrapped around me, just in case I began to fall off the horse somehow. We went over a hill and finally saw the city.

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld," Gandalf said. "There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan… whose mind is overthrown. Saruman now has a very strong hold over him. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here." We began to trot to the entrance of Edoras. I leaned against Legolas' chest and let him take the reins. As we reached the gate, a banner with a horse on it floated down to the ground.

"You'll find more cheer in a graveyard." The five of us reached the staircase that led up to the Golden Hall of Meduseld. Legolas carried me as he walked up the stairs with the others. A guard walked out of the building once we reached the top.

"I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame- by order of Grima Wormtongue." The wizard nodded. We all began to hand over our weapons. I was put down momentarily so I could give the soldiers my bow and arrows and my swords. Once all of our weapons were taken, the guard said, "Your staff."

Innocently, Gandalf replied, "Oh, you would not part an old man from his walking stick." The guard rolled his eyes, and then he led us in. Legolas scooped me up into his arms again. As we began to walk toward the front of the hall Gandalf spoke once more. "The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late Théoden King."

"Why should I welcome you Gandalf Stormcrow?" The king spoke in a hoarse voice. Legolas went over to a table and set me down on the bench beside it. I lay my head down on the tabletop, but I paid attention to what was going on. He returned to the others' side.

"A just question, my liege," the man next to Théoden said. Grima Wormtongue stood up. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent. Keep your forked tongue in your mouth behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." Gandalf raised his staff.

"His staff." The man backed away from the wizard. "I told you to take the wizard's staff." The Man, Elf, and Dwarf began to fight the soldiers that headed for Gandalf.

"Théoden, son of Thengel, too long have you sat in the Shadows." Grima Wormtongue had walked over to me. He picked me up by my hair. I tried to struggle out of his grip, but he placed a blade against my neck.

"Legolas!" The ellon turned to see me trying to get away from Grima. He hit the last guard who then fell to the floor.

"Ariane," he gasped.

"Either you all leave and she lives, or you stay and she dies." Grima yanked my hair to make me look back at him. He saw that I had tears cascading down my cheeks. He smiled. "Hm, you're quite a beauty aren't you?" His nose traveled down my neck, inhaling my scent.

"Don't touch her!" Legolas started to rush forward. Grima slowly began to cut my neck. A few drops of blood oozed out of my body and onto my skin.

"And what will you do to save her?" Suddenly, Grima and I were pushed to the floor. Aragorn had snuck around the hall to be out of the sight of the snake holding onto me. Legolas rushed forward, grabbed my hands, and pulled me away from the skirmish. Gimli walked over and kicked Grima in the face. Still on the floor but several feet away, I was held against Legolas' body. Tears continued to slide down my face, but I was not sobbing. I was too tired. I was too sick to cry hard.

The fight between the Dwarf, Man, and worm ended with the Fellowship being victorious. Placing a foot on Grima who was lying on the floor, Gimli said:

"I would stay still if I were you."

"Hearken to me," Gandalf shouted. "I release you from this spell." The king let out a long cackle.

"You have no power here… Gandalf the Grey." The wizard removed his grey cloak to reveal his white garb.

"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." A woman with blonde hair appeared. She saw the scene taking place and began to run towards the king.

"Wait," Aragorn said to her as he grabbed her arm.

"If I go, Théoden dies," a different voice said from the king's mouth.

"You did not kill me; you will not kill him."

"Rohan is mine."

"Be gone." Théoden stood up to attack Gandalf, but he was pushed back into his throne. The dark aura surrounding him began to fade. Théoden fell forward, and the blonde-haired woman ran forward to catch him. The king's natural state began to appear.

"I know your face… Eowyn… Eowyn." Théoden turned to the wizard. "Gandalf?"

"Breathe free air again, my friend." Eowyn helped the king stand up.

"Dark have been my dreams of late." The king of Rohan looked at his hands.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword." The guard who had led us in, presented Théoden's sword before him. Slowly, the king pulled his sword out of its scabbard. He turned to glare at Grima. The scene was taken outside.

Legolas looked down at me. My skin was much paler than before. My body was shivering from the chills I felt down to the bone. "How are you feeling?" He reached a hand up to stroke my cheek. He smiled, but I began to lose consciousness. Just before I blacked out, I said:

"Ill…"


	12. Chapter 12

When I woke up the next day, I was lying on a large bed. Eowyn walked up to me. "How do you feel today?" I connected with her eyes. I slowly sat up. My body ached, but I could live with it. A warm bath would help.

"How are you today?" She looked at me confused. "You buried your cousin yesterday." As I continued to look into her eyes, I watched the entire burial. I was able to hold back tears somehow.

"How did-"

"I can see it in your eyes. I can see what you've seen." She smiled weakly. Eowyn offered me a cup of water which I eagerly accepted.

"I thank you for your concern, but I will be fine in due course." Eowyn looked me over. She placed a hand on my forehead. "You have gained much of your color back. You aren't as pale. Would you like to go eat?" I nodded. I pulled away the blankets that were covering me. I saw that the dress I had brought with me was at the foot of the bed. "I found that in your bag. I thought you deserved to be in something that beautiful. If you like I can put up your hair as well."

Nodding, I got off the bed. I changed into my blue dress. As I finished getting dressed, she gave me a pair of black flats and led me over to a chair. Eowyn brushed my hair and then braided the top half of my hair into an intricate style. "I have a circlet in my bag as well." After looking in my bag, she placed the head piece on my head. "Thank you," I said.

"Follow me," Eowyn said. I walked behind her. She led me to the hall that I had first entered. When we arrived, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli looked up.

"Ariane," Legolas said. He stood up from the table he was sitting at and walked up to me. "You look much better." He wrapped his arms around me and spun the two of us in a circle. When he stopped, we were laughing. He stepped away and looked my whole body over. "And beautiful. The color suits you." I smiled.

"Thank you." I hugged him briefly, breathing in the after rain smell. "And thank you for making sure I was okay."

"You look quite wonderful in that dress lassie." I bowed to Gimli. Legolas led me to the table and gave me a bowl filled with stew. I began to eat. The taste was amazing. Once my meal was gone, Legolas grabbed one of my hands with his. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. I giggled and then lay my head against his shoulder.

"We will be leaving for Helm's Deep the day after tomorrow. Make sure you are prepared for the road ahead." I nodded in response to Aragorn's statement. With our hands intertwined, Legolas and I walked outside. The warm air and the cool breeze clashed together. The sun was shining. Legolas led me to the edge of the wall we were standing on.

"Don't go and get yourself hurt while we are travelling to Helm's Deep."

"I'm not going to get hurt. Even if I do, I know that you'll take care of me." The ellon's cheeks were tinted pink. I laughed, and I wrapped my arms around his torso. Legolas hummed to himself. He stroked my hair as we watched the sun go down and the sky change color.


	13. Chapter 13

King Théoden was leading everyone to Helm's Deep. I was on the same white horse as Legolas. I sat in front of him. He rested his chin on my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Getting closer to you."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Because you are causing my mind to wander." Legolas sat back up.

"Sorry," he whispered.

Blushing, I replied, "I never said that you had to stop." I knew he was smiling as he placed his chin back on my shoulder.

Inhaling, Legolas breathed deeply. "Did you know that you smell like vanilla?"

"Did you know that you smell like the air after it has rained?"

"Do I," the ellon asked. I nodded. Behind us I heard Gimli speaking to Eowyn. She was guiding the horse he sat on.

"It's true, you don't see many Dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men."

"It's the beards." Aragorn whispered loudly to Eowyn, explaining what Gimli had meant when he said 'appearance'.

"Shh," she said back to the Ranger.

"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women, and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground…" Eowyn began to laugh loudly. I turned so I could see her. Legolas grumbled slightly when I moved.

"Calm down. You're the one acting childish now." He smiled at me. Eowyn laughed some more. "Is it true Dwarf women have beards," I asked Legolas. He nodded, and I laughed quietly.

"…which is, of course, ridiculous." Gimli's horse began to gallop away, and Eowyn lost her grip on the horse's reins. I was still watching as Gimli went past us. A few seconds later, he tumbled off his horse. "It's all right. Nobody panic. That was deliberate." Eowyn reached the Dwarf and began to help him stand up. "It was deliberate."

I looked back and saw Aragorn and Théoden exchange glances and laugh. "I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time. She was a girl when they brought her father back dead- cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to her grief. Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her like a father loves his daughter."

When evening came, the procession to Helm's Deep was halted to allow the women and children to sleep for the night. Legolas took me to a hill where a small outcrop of rocks was. We climbed it to a flatter surface. He began to lay items down. It was clear to me that he had not gotten much rest as of late. I could see in his eyes that he kept watch over me while I slept, while I recovered from my fever. I had him worried. Legolas lay down on the ground. Not knowing what to do to repay him, I reached into my bag. "Lembas?" He nodded, and I hand him a loaf. "Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please." I gave him my pouch that was filled with fresh water. He brought it to his mouth and took a long drink.

"Legolas?" After he finished drinking, he looked at me. "Why did you really get closer to me while we were riding today?"

"Like I said, why not?"

"Don't answer my question, with a question of your own." I was getting slightly irritated. "Please just tell me."

"I don't know the answer." I was confused. "For some reason, I can't help being close to you. I just can't help it. It feels natural; like I am supposed to be at your side." He extended his hand towards me. I grabbed it, and he pulled me to his chest. "Stay with me tonight." I looked to his eyes and saw that he was searching my eyes, as if he was trying to find the answer to my question there. I nodded. Then he placed a kiss on my forehead. I lay my head down and went to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day, I rode the white horse alone. Legolas had decided to stay at the head of the people to keep an eye out for danger. "Where is she?" I looked behind me and saw Eowyn walking beside Aragorn. "The woman who gave you that jewel." Aragorn looked down at the ground. My eyes flashed white, and my hair turned blonde. I watched the daughter of Elrond, the granddaughter of Lady Galadriel. She strayed away from her people, and she ran towards Aragorn. I felt how she loved Aragorn, even though he was mortal and she was not. Arwen gave her love the jewel which held her immortality. By giving it up, she would become a mortal.

My hair and eyes changed back. "She is sailing to the Undying Lands with all that is left of her kin." Eowyn looked away from him and made eye contact with me. I looked away guiltily.

A couple of Rohan Horsemen trotted past us. I saw Legolas a good distance ahead. The riders went past him. All of sudden they were shouting. I was able to make out, "Wargs!" Legolas ran to catch up with them. I kicked the sides of my horse to get it to run ahead. Aragorn began to run behind me.

As I got over the hill, Legolas slit the throat of a large Warg. "A scout!" I rode up to join the ellon on top of the next hill. We saw dozens of Orcs riding Wargs. The two of us began firing arrows and took down a few of the creatures. Gimli, on his horse, came riding up, and Legolas swung onto the horse to join him. I continued to fire arrows from the top of the hill. Once the Wargs and Riders of Rohan met, I kicked my horse to catch up with them.

Gimli fell off his horse. Legolas turned it around to go back and fire an arrow at a Warg that was heading for the Dwarf. "That one counts as mine."

"Gimli, behind you!" He turned around after hearing my warning. He swiped his ax at the giant dog-like animal. I looked away to fire an arrow at an Orc coming near me. I shot more arrows and soon the Orcs and Wargs were leaving.

"Ariane!" I turned towards Legolas when he called my name. "Are you alright?" Nodding, I looked around the hillside. Horses and Men and Wargs and Orcs were dead all around. "Aragorn!" I heard the ellon call out for our friend.

"Aragorn," Gimli called out following suit. I gasped as my hair became blonde and eyes became white. I saw Aragorn attack an Orc riding past. His arm got stuck, and I watched in terror as the Warg continued to run. It ran and ran until it fell off a cliff, with Aragorn still on its side. As the vision was passing, I fell off my horse. Legolas caught me.

"What did you see?" Tears came to my eyes. Legolas set me on the ground. A dying cackle was heard coming from an Orc.

"Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing." The Orc laughed some more and then said:

"He's… dead." The tears fell from my eyes. "He took a little tumble off the cliff."

"You lie," Legolas said, grabbing hold of the Orc. The enemy cackled and died. I brought my hand to my eyes to wipe away tears, but it was useless. They kept coming.

"No, he's not lying." I began cry more. "I saw him fall in my vision." Legolas looked at the Orcs hand. It was clutching something. He pulled it free, and Legolas looked at the jewel given to Aragorn by Arwen. I crawled to the cliff's edge and looked over it. All I saw was the river below. The water was rough and murky and impossible to see anything in it.

"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return," King Théoden said. "Leave the dead." The Fellowship looked at the king in disbelief. "Come." Théoden placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder, and then he helped me stand up. He left. The three of us looked over the cliff one last time. Legolas grabbed my hand, and then we followed the king.


	15. Chapter 15

I sat at a table inside of Helm's Deep. I was looking at the ground. "Why?" Legolas turned to me. My hands were lying on my lap, palms facing the ceiling. Tears were all but spent, although a few lingered on the rim of my eyes.

"What do you mean?" I looked up at the ellon.

"Why is everyone dying because of me?" My gaze returned to the floor. Legolas came and grabbed my hands in his. They were kissed then let go. I felt my chin being lifted. My eyes were forced to look at his.

"No one is dying because of you."

"Yes they are. Boromir died protecting me. And Aragorn…"

"Had ill-luck." I shook my head. "It is not your fault he fell."

"I could have made sure he was safe. I could have checked the Fellowship's future, but I am a fool. I can look freely into the future. That is what makes me different from Galadriel. I have free use of the gift of sight. She can look at certain things. I can look for anything but myself. I cannot see my future." Suddenly, another vision came. I saw a large army of Uruk-hai. The view zoomed out, and just before the vision ended, I saw Aragorn on a horse riding up to Helm's Deep. "Aragorn!"

I stood up and ran towards the hall where Théoden was. Legolas called after me. As I neared the doors to the throne room, Aragorn was walking up to them. "Aragorn!" He turned and saw me. I went and threw my arms around him. "I swear if this happens again, and you almost die-"

"It's good to see you too." Aragorn pushed me away so he could see my face. Legolas stepped forward.

"Naebdolin." (You're late.) Legolas looked at Aragorn's appearance. "You look terrible." The two smiled. They hugged briefly. "Caral athrannai ad." (Don't lose it again.) The ellon handed the Ranger the jeweled necklace. Aragorn looked between the two of us.

"Thank you," he replied. "I must speak to King Théoden." Stepping aside to give him access to the doors behind us, Aragorn moved to them and pushed the doors open. We followed him into the hall. Théoden stood when he saw who was entering. "A great host is on their way."

"A great host, you say?"

"All Isengard is emptied."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong at least." Théoden turned around, his eyes wide.

"Ten thousand?"

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men. They will be here by nightfall." Théoden began to walk away confidently.

"Let them come!"

* * *

**A/N- Sad part coming up. TT-TT. Then it becomes happy. XD**


	16. Chapter 16

I gasped. "What did you see, Ariane?" I looked at Legolas and Aragorn. Gimli walked up struggling to get the chainmail armor on over his body.

"We had time, I'd get this adjusted to the size I need." I watched the chainmail fall to the ground. It was designed for a man at least two times the height of the Dwarf. "It's a little tight across the chest." Aragorn nodded his head sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"Ariane," Aragorn began.

"What did you see in your vision?" Legolas looked at me concerned. Suddenly a horn sounded. "That is no Orc horn."

Smiling, I said, "No, it is an Elf horn. Haldir and others from Lothlorien are here." I ran out of the armory. "Haldir!" I began to shout my brother's name over and over. Legolas called my name, but I continued to run towards where Théoden King was. I reached the staircase that led to the lower area of Helm's Deep. "Haldir!" My brother looked at me from the bottom of the stairs.

"Ariane!" Before he hugged me, he turned to King Théoden. "We have come to honor that allegiance." I went up to my older brother.

"You are most welcome." He hugged me and stroked my hair.

"We are proud to fight alongside Men once more." The king was silent for a moment. Then he said:

"Then fight together we shall." There was a cheer among the men. The Elves all turned to face Théoden. Aragorn ordered that the Elves and any Men good with a bow be sent to the outer wall of the keep. I stood beside Haldir as people began to move around. My older brother that I was closest to was smiling at me.

"I cannot believe that I get to see you again before heading home when all this is done. Now I feel like I can do anything with you here." I laughed a little. "I sound crazy."

"When do you not?" I gasped at his response and hit his arm playfully. "Galadriel sends her regards. She says to open up your eyes to the special one who has stayed by your side." I was confused.

"Ariane, I'll meet you on the wall." I nodded. He smiled, and I watched Legolas leave me and my brother. Turning back to him, Haldir was looking at Legolas as he left. I saw a look of perception in his eye.

"He is the one?" Blushing, I nodded as I finally understood what Galadriel had meant. I think I finally understood what Legolas meant the other day. I felt that I had to stay by his side as well; like I was supposed to be there. It was as if we were supposed to meet. I looked back to my brother. "If he is that special to you, I will hand you over to him." I smiled and embraced Haldir again. My eyes and hair changed. I watched Haldir get struck with an Orc sword. I saw him fall and die. When things went back to normal, I focused onto my brother's face. My face held a look of horror. Haldir was going to die. What would I do without him in my life? How would I live without my older brother? "What is it?"

Hesitating, I said, "You won't make it out of this battle alive." He smiled sadly. I saw in his eyes that he did not plan on backing out. "No, Haldir! Please don't fight; not now that I have seen you will die."

"The only way I will back down is if you leave the battlefield."

"You know that I cannot."

"And that is why I cannot. If anything, I will do my best to protect you." I held back tears. It was not the time to be upset. I had to focus on the upcoming battle.

About twenty minute later, everyone was in line, and Saruman's army could be seen in the dark. The opposing army looked like it could have been a large city in the distance because of all the torches they held. Théoden stood on the top of the inner wall. I was standing beside Haldir. I looked down the line and saw that four people stood between me and Legolas.

There was a gap between Legolas and the elf to his left. "You could have picked a better spot." I smiled to myself. It was Gimli who stood next to him. Aragorn walked up behind the ellon and the Dwarf. "Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder soon followed after.

"Your friends are with you Aragorn."

"Let's hope they last the night," Gimli remarked. I laughed to myself. I looked next to me and saw that Haldir had a small grin on his face. The sky lit up again. The noise after was louder this time, and drops of water fell from the sky. Aragorn began to speak words of encouragement to the elves. He was making sure everyone knew what to do.

"What's happening out there?" There were small thuds every time the Dwarf landed on the ground after trying to jump up to see over the wall.

"Shall I describe it to you… or would you like me to find you a box?" There was a short pause. I heard Gimli laugh heartily.

The Uruk-hai began to strike their weapons against the ground, each one in sync with the one next to it. All the archers, including myself, loaded an arrow onto their bows. The Uruk-hai continued their pounding. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an arrow go flying. It sailed until it came in contact with an enemy.

"HOLD!" Aragorn shouted; I could tell he was not pleased at the slip-up. Knowing it was a Man that lost his grip on the arrow, I cursed under my breath. Elves would never make that mistake. Then the Uruks roared and then charged. All the Elves released their arrows. I was able to track each of my arrows as they pierced the enemy. Soon arrows were fired towards us. They flew from the crossbows that were aimed at the Elves and not the Men. The Uruk-hai knew we were a formidable threat. Several Elves beside me were hit and fell. I watched an arrow buzz past my ear.

"Ariane, careful."

"It wasn't going to hit me Haldir."

"Ladders! Get your swords!" I unsheathed my two swords and began to attack.

"Legolas! Two already!"

"I'm at seventeen!"

"I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!"

"Nineteen!"

"Quit messing around you two! Focus on fighting! You'll get a lot worse from me if I come down there," I yelled at them as I continued to fight. "If you really want to keep score, do it with something outside a war." I felt a vision come and go. I looked to the drain that allowed water to leave Helm's Deep. Orcs ran towards the grate and placed large objects under the wall. "Aragorn! Dynamite!"

"Legolas shoot him down! Kill him!" I heard the explosion. I heard Gimli yell. I heard him jump. Archers behind Aragorn fired a barrage of arrows, but it only slowed Saruman's army slightly. Pounding footsteps behind me told me the Elves were charging the Uruk-hai running into the Keep. "Gimli!" Legolas jumped on an enemy shield and used it to slide down the staircase.

The fighting went on, and I could tell that it was in vain. It was impossible for a regiment of three hundred to come out victorious against a militia of ten thousand. "Aragorn, fall back to the Keep! Get your men out of there! Get everyone back to the Keep!" Théoden shouted out more orders, and Aragorn joined him, shouting in the Elves' language.

"Back to the Keep! Haldir! Ariane! To the Keep!"

"Haldir, we must retreat!" His eyes widened. I looked at him with confusion.

"Look out!" Haldir pushed me away. Then everything seemed to stop. Haldir had pushed me out of the path of an oncoming Orc, and in the process he was slashed by its sword. It created a large wound on his chest.

"Haldir!" My scream was high pitched. I heard an arrow fly past me and hit the Orc that wounded my brother. "Haldir! No!" Aragorn and Legolas came up to me and my brother. "Haldir!" Aragorn grabbed me and began to take me back into the caves. "Legolas, grab Haldir!" He did as I told. Once we were inside the cave, Aragorn let go of me. "Haldir!" Tears were streaming down my face.

"Ariane…," my brother trailed off. "You've grown up so much." Some of my tears fell onto his face. I can't lose him, but I don't know how to perform Elvish healing. There is nothing I can do to save him. He's going to die.

"No, no, you can't leave me. You can't die!" He smiled up at me.

"You knew that I wouldn't make it out of this battle. You saw it."

"I still didn't want it to happen." I began to cry harder. "Please don't leave me. I don't want you to go. I can't live my life without you in it." His hand reached up and brushed away a few strands of my hair. "Don't go," I whispered. "Please…" His blood was flowing out of his wound and onto the ground.

"You've become a strong and beautiful elleth. Be happy." He turned to Legolas. "I am entrusting her to you. Take care of her for me." Legolas nodded. Haldir turned back to me. He stroked my hair. "So beautiful… you've finally grown up…" Slowly his eyes faded and then closed.

"Noooo!" The caves were completely quiet, but my sobs broke the silence. That was all that was heard. "Haldir! Wake up, wake up! Please wake up Haldir!" Legolas tried to move me, but I swatted his arm away. I knew that the gesture had hurt him, but I didn't care at the moment. The only person that was on my mind was Haldir. I latched onto my brother's dead body. Dead… he was dead. Legolas leaned in by my ear.

"Stay in the caves. With the way you are now, you won't be able to fight." I nodded. Eowyn walked up to me.

"Ariane, let's move deeper into the cave."

"Not without Haldir." Legolas quickly brought Haldir further into the cave. After he set my brother down, he left. I knelt down beside Haldir.

"Ariane…" Eowyn trailed off.

"I know what it's like now." The blonde looked at me. I felt tears that didn't seem like they would stop. Eowyn continued to look at me with dread. "I know what it's like to lose someone close to you." She rushed forward, knelt down, and hugged me, and I began to sob again.

* * *

**A/N- TT-TT *sob**

**Okay I know that some of you may be thinking about Haldir's death. Now, it's a fanfic, so I try to change things up, so I am not copying it directly (kinda already am). When Ariane saw that he would die, she didn't see that he would die protecting her. She can't see herself in her visions. That's why his death is not very detailed in her vision. Ariane stayed back because she was not enraged by what happened. Throughout her life she has not had to deal with death and other hardships, therefore she is taking things really hard. She is like a child, and usually kids don't understand or take bad news, well, badly.**

**Sorry about the long A/N, just had a lot to cover.**


	17. Chapter 17

"Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli! She's back here." Eowyn led the Dwarf, Elf, and Man to the back of the cave.

"Come, Gandalf." I was lying on my brother's chest, and my hair was drenched in his blood.

"Ariane… my dear child." Gandalf and Legolas approached me.

"Ariane, we won. The Orcs are gone lassie." I was staring off into nothing.

"Ariane?!" Legolas walked forward and grabbed my left arm. Grabbing some of his cloak, he wrapped it around my wrist to cover the deep cut that I had made there. He checked my other arm and saw that there was another deep gash on my wrist. Legolas covered that arm as well. "Someone get me something to cover her arms." Eowyn ran away, but she quickly came back with some white cloth. She proceeded to wrap it around my arm. With a second piece of cloth, she covered my other wrist. "Ariane, why would you slit your wrists?" Legolas held the bandages tightly, hoping to stop the bleeding as fast as possible.

"Child?" I looked up towards Gandalf. "His death was not in vain. He died protecting the one person he loved above all others." Tears crept back to my eyes. I was surprised I had any left. "Be at peace, dear child." The spell he tried to cast didn't work. My grief was too great. I began to cry harder.

"Ariane!" Legolas came forward again and grabbed me and held me close to him. "Ariane!" I continued to cry. "ARIANE!" I was scared. He had never yelled at me like that. I looked at the ellon briefly.

As tears threatened to fall again, Legolas brought his face closer to mine. What was he doing? "Legolas?" He kissed me softly but also passionately. I closed my eyes and held onto him.

"It's about time they kissed." Aragorn hit Gimli on the head after he said that. Legolas broke the kiss after a few more seconds.

"Haldir put me in charge of taking care of you, and I promise you that I will. Ariane, the last thing Haldir would want you to do is to succumb to your grief and follow him into death, especially if you tried to give yourself a fatal wound. Now, you promise me that you will go on living for him," Legolas said. "And for me." I nodded. Brushing away the tears, he smiled and then kissed me again. I knew in my heart that things were going to be brighter after this. I knew that I would continue living. And that was when I realized that Galadriel's vision came true.


	18. Chapter 18

I was on Shadowfax with Gandalf, only because I had asked to ride on that particular horse. I hadn't seen the animal in at least a year. We had a wonderful time, running through all Lothlorien. Haldir had been irritated that Galadriel had gotten me a day with Shadowfax for my birthday. He thought that she should stop treating me like a child, but then he realized that he should do the same. I looked down at the ground. Haldir… I placed my right hand on my left wrist. It was wrapped up. The bandage wound around my hand and forearm. The cut on my right wrist was not deep and had already healed, but the cut on my left wrist was very deep. It had to be sewn back together.

"Ariane," Gandalf whispered. I looked up to him. The wizard had turned his gaze to me. "Are you alright?" I sighed and nodded my head. "Give me your hand dear child." My left hand traveled in front of Gandalf. He grabbed it, unwrapped my wrist, and inspected the cut. "When we go back to Edoras, you should get it checked. It's beginning to become infected."

"Thank you Gandalf." The wizard rewrapped my arm. Once he finished, he patted my hand.

"You'll be alright." I smiled and nodded.

"Ah-ha-ha!" I looked ahead.

"Pippin! Merry!" Gandalf stopped Shadowfax. I immediately jumped off the horse.

"Welcome, my lords…to Isengard!" Merry slurred his words a bit. It was obvious he had been drinking for a while.

"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on and now we find you feasting and… and smoking!"

"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts." Pippin caused Gimli's mouth to drop open. "The salted pork is particularly good."

"Salted pork?" The mention of the food made the Dwarf's mouth water.

I climbed up onto the crumbling rocks they were on and out of the small stream that had formed. "Merry!" I hugged him, and then I turned to the other Hobbit. "Pippin!" I hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey!" I looked at Legolas who had shouted at me. "Don't do that."

"What? Jealous, are we?" The ellon blushed and looked away. "There's no need to feel that way. Right Pippin?" The Hobbit was confused. "See?" I leaned forward and pecked his lips. Pippin swooned some, but that may have been from the ale he was drinking. I could tell he still liked me a bit.

"Ariane, stop." He dismounted the white horse he was on and walked over to the rocks.

"Calm down. I'm just messing with your jealous feelings." I hugged Pippin again. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Pip," I whispered into his ear.

"No, it's okay. I got a kiss from you. That's good enough for me."

"We're under orders from Treebeard," Merry spoke up. "Who's taken over management of Isengard."

"Hey, Legolas," I said. The ellon turned toward me. "Catch," I said and then jumped down. He caught me in his arms. I giggled and nuzzled my face into his neck. I leaned back. Legolas was looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"I can see you are back to your child-like behavior." I smiled. "Will you get back on the horse now?" I pouted. "Please?" I placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Okay!" He was right; I was back to my old self.


	19. Chapter 19

"Ah, Young Master Gandalf; I'm glad you've come." The Ent we were going towards was a bit smaller than the rest of the trees walking around. "Wood and water, stock and stone I can master. But there is a wizard to manage here… locked in his tower." I looked up the tower. It was massive; strong and able to stand the flood of water around us.

"Show yourself." Aragorn was irritated.

"Be careful. Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous."

"Well, let's just have his head and be done with it," Gimli growled.

"No," Gandalf replied. "We need him alive." Gimli seemed confused.

"We need him to talk Gimli." I looked back to the top of the tower. I knew Saruman was about to appear.

"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Théoden King and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ariane." I looked to Aragorn. "Do not take things lightly here." I nodded. Now was not the time to be a child.

"We shall have peace." Théoden was quiet at first. "We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there," he said louder. "We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg, are avenged!" The King was becoming infuriated and began to shout. "When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows… we shall have peace." I smiled. It was well put and could not have been said any better.

"Gibbets and crows? Dotard! What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess… the Key of Orthanc or perhaps the Keys of Barad-dur itself along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!"

"Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk. But you could save them, Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's counsel."

"So you have come here for information. I have some for you." Saruman lifted up an orb.

"A palantir?" I gazed up at the foul instrument but quickly brought my gaze back to Saruman.

"Something festers in the heart of Middle Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it. Even now he presses his advantage." Gandalf tapped Shadowfax's neck. The stallion walked forward. "His attack will come soon. You're all going to die. But you know this, don't you, Gandalf? You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, who crept from the shadows, will never be crowned king."

I turned towards Aragorn. He held a firm look, showing he was not afraid of what the evil wizard was saying. When I looked back at the top of the Tower of Isengard, my eyes were drawn to the palantir.

"Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him, those he professes to love." For some reason, I couldn't turn my gaze from the orb, no matter how hard I tried. "Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death."

"I've heard enough! Shoot him. Stick an arrow in his gob." Legolas reached for an arrow.

"No. Come down, Saruman and your life will be spared."

"Save your pity and your mercy. I have no use for it." The White Wizard on top of the tower used his staff. A fireball was headed towards Gandalf and me. Naturally, Gandalf made a shield to protect us, but the force of the attack made me fall off the horse since there was no saddle.

"Ariane," I heard Legolas shout. Then, I was under the shallow water. I resurfaced and coughed. Standing up, I heard laughter.

"So, this is the powerful she-elf; the one who can look into anytime to see anything." Saruman laughed some more. "Tell me, what was like to see how your brother dies but not knowing he was protecting you?" Tears threatened to form. I growled fiercely. "Does it anger you that you couldn't save him because you didn't see yourself in your vision?" The tears that I was trying to hold back gathered on the rims of my eyes.

"His death is on your hands, Saruman!" I was furious. "And so help me; I will slit your throat before you speak ill of him." The wizard smirked and then held the palantir in front of him. I gasped, and my eyes widened.

"Are you afraid of this? If you'd like, you could look into it and abolish those fears." I fell back into the water. I sat with my hands behind me. His smiled widened. "Look and see!" The orb became the color of fire. I couldn't look away. Saruman was using his magic to force me to look at it. I couldn't breathe. I was terrified.

"Stop it! Stop, please," I screamed as tears began to roll down from my eyes.

"Saruman," Gandalf spoke up. My line of sight was glued to the palantir.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"Ariane!" There was a splash and then sloshing footsteps.

"Saruman, your staff is broken." The wooden staff shattered and then disintegrated. I finally was able to look away. Legolas reached me and knelt down in the water.

"Ariane," he gently whispered. My eyes were wide open in fear. "Ariane!" I was grabbed and brought into his arms. My body shuddered involuntarily, not from cold, but from being nearly petrified by fear. Suddenly, air was allowed into my lungs. I breathed deeply.

"Legolas," I gasped. The ellon's arms tightened their grip around me.

"It's okay; I've got you." He stroked my hair. A few seconds passed, and Legolas stood up. He picked me up out of the water and held me in his arms.

"Grima…, you need not follow him." Théoden was speaking to the same Man who poisoned his mind, the same Man who tried to kill me. "You were not always as you are now. You were once a Man of Rohan. Come down."

"A Man of Rohan? What is the house of Rohan…," Legolas helped me back on to Shadowfax's back. "But a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs," Saruman continued. "The victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Théoden Horse-master. You are a lesser son of greater sires." I risked looking up at the Tower of Isengard again.

"Grima… come down. Be free of him." I looked into the eyes of Grima. Even though he had held me captive, I saw that he was truly sorry and humbled. I saw him before he worked for Saruman. He had been a good Man.

"Free?! He will never be free."

"No," Grima said while shaking his head.

"Get down, cur!" The wizard backhanded his minion. Legolas placed an arrow against his bow.

"Saruman, you were deep in the enemy's counsel. Tell us what you know!" I had a quick vision of Grima stabbing Saruman. When my body went back to its natural form, Legolas looked at me.

"You withdraw your guard, and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here." Grima charged at the wizard and began stabbing him in the back. Legolas was about to let go of the arrow.

"No, don't," I muttered. "There is still good in him."

"But he is killing our enemy."

"And that means he is no longer our enemy and is now our ally." I looked to the tower just as Saruman tumbled off the edge. I heard Legolas put the arrow back with the others. The body of the White Wizard fell until it was skewered on the spike of a water wheel.

"Send word to all our allies and to every corner of Middle-earth that still stands free. The enemy is moving against us. We need to know where he will strike." A loud creaking noise was made by the wheel as it began to turn because of the dead weight on it.

Théoden turned to me. "Thank you Ariane." He saw Grima looking over the edge of the roof of the tower. "Grima, come down, and I will give you a renewed life." The Man nodded his head.

"The filth of Saruman is washing away," Treebeard the Ent said. "Trees will come back to live here. Young trees, wild trees."

"Pippin!" I watched the Hobbit jump down from the horse, into the water, and over towards the area Saruman's corpse was. Reaching in the water, Pippin picked up the palantir. Gasping, I turned away. Shadowfax moved Gandalf and me to the Halfling.

"Bless my bark!"

"Peregrin Took!" Frightened slightly, Pippin looked to Gandalf. "I'll take that, my lad. Quickly, now." The dangerous orb was given to the wizard and covered by cloth. Grima came down the stairs to the door to the Tower of Isengard. "Ariane, I want you to ride with Legolas, Gimli will ride with me. I won't risk you getting hurt because I hold the palantir." I nodded and hopped off the king of all horses.

"Grima, we are short on horses. You will ride with me." As I walked to the horse Gimli and Legolas had been sharing, my path interceded with Grima's. I looked up at the Man.

"Why did you let me live? Even after I threatened to kill you, you let me live." I smiled.

"I can see the good that is still inside you." Relief washed over his face, which then began to transform. He began to look younger and less wicked. He changed back into the person he had been before he worked for the evil wizard. Grima said, "Thank you, I am truly in your debt."

* * *

**A/N: This is a new chapter. I felt that, you know, Ariane was already there; so I added this. The reason why the palantir affects Ariane will be explained in a later chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

When we all returned to Edoras, Grima and Merry and Pippin included, we held a ceremony to remember the dead. I stayed close to Legolas the entire time. I held back my tears. Before we left Helm's Deep, my brother's body was burned. Some of the ashes were placed inside a locket that was sent to me by Galadriel. (The rest was brought back in a jar.) She gave me her condolences and apologized for not telling me that Haldir would die protecting me in a letter that came with the locket. Both items were brought to me by a dove.

The locket I received was shaped like a heart and was silver with a blue heart in the center. After I put some of Haldir's ashes inside, I had a blacksmith weld it shut so it wouldn't drop the ashes. I wanted them to be near me always. I didn't want them to blow away in the wind. I played with the locket that was now around my neck. I was snapped out of my train of thought when the king spoke.

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country, even those who were not of this land." Théoden looked at me when he said this. In his eyes, I saw true remorse. He knew of the great loss I had. He didn't know what he could do to help me, but the fact that we were praising the warriors that died protecting what they loved was enough. Their family, their land, and Middle Earth was fought for. "Hail the victorious dead."

"Hail!" Everyone took a drink from their cups. I turned into Legolas' chest and allowed a few tears to creep by that came out of nowhere.

"You alright?" I nodded my head and looked up to his face. He grabbed my hand that was clutching the locket. Legolas brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. "Haldir is with you wherever you go." His fingers brushed against the warm metal. "And so am I," he said smiling. I brought his mouth to mine where I kissed him, but then I was then interrupted.

"Legolas! Ariane! Come, enjoy the party. Grab a drink and drink up," Gimli said. I smiled, and Legolas and I followed the Dwarf. He led us over to Eomer, Eowyn's older brother, who was by the barrels of ale. He handed Legolas a pint and said:

"No pauses, and no spills." I sighed.

"And no regurgitation," Gimli said.

"So it's a drinking game?" Gimli's eyes lit up.

"Last one standing wins." The Men around us cheered.

"But-" I began. Legolas turned to me and winked. He turned back to the pint and began to drink. I stayed quiet. Pint after pint were drunken, and every time Legolas got another, I had to stifle a laugh.

Several mugs of ale later, Gimli said, "It's the Dwarves that go swimming with little, hairy women." He belched loudly. I was disgusted, but at least they found a competition that was outside of war.

"I feel something. A slight tingle in my fingers." I smiled to myself knowing the secret Legolas made me keep silent. "I think it's affecting me."

"What did I say?" Gimli was obviously way past hammered. His words were slurred, and his body swayed back and forth. "He can't hold his liquor." Then I walked over to the Dwarf.

"Actually, Elves have such a high tolerance for liquor, we have found no use in drinking it. It's like drinking plain water." I pushed Gimli's forehead. He fell backwards onto the floor. I turned back to Legolas.

"Game over." I laughed, and the two of us walked away. There was a large commotion in the center of the room. I looked and saw Merry and Pippin dancing on a table and singing their hearts out. I turned to Legolas and smiled.

"Oh, you can search far and wide

You can drink the whole town dry

But you'll never find a beer so brown

But you'll never find a beer so brown

As the one we drink in our hometown

As the one we drink in our hometown

You can drink your fancy ales

You can drink 'em by the flagon

But the only brew for the brave and true"

Pippin stopped dancing and singing for a moment; distracted by something. "Pippin!" He turned back to Merry.

"But the only brew for the brave and true

Comes from The Green Dragon"

The people around began to cheer. I clapped. The two Hobbits spotted me and motioned for me to come forward. I shook my head. "Come on Ariane, sing for us all." The crowd turned towards me and started to tell me to go sing. Legolas nudged me forward. I looked back at him and glared at him playfully. He nodded as if telling me that I should go sing. Rolling my eyes, I turned around and went to the table that Merry and Pippin were standing on.

"Why do you want me to sing?" The Hobbits extended one of their hands and hauled me onto the tabletop.

"Because you have a beautiful voice; don't think we will forget the time you sang on the river," Pippin said. Then he got off the table and Merry followed suit. I sighed and looked at the crowd.

"Sing! Sing for us!"

"Okay…" Cheers erupted. They quieted down. I thought for a moment about what I should sing. Then I remembered one of Haldir's favorites, and I began:

"May it be an evening star

Shines down upon you

May it be when darkness falls

Your heart will be true

You walk a lonely road

Oh, how far you are from home

Mornie utulie (Darkness has come)

Believe and you will find your way

Mornie alantie (Darkness has fallen)

A promise lives within you now

May it be the shadows call

Will fly away

May it be you journey on

To light the day

When the night is overcome

You may rise to find the sun

Mornie utulie

Believe and you will find your way

Mornie alantie

A promise lives within you now"

Tears had come to my eyes. Why did I choose to sing this song? It reminded me of Haldir and made me miss my older brother even more.

"A promise lives within you now"

The crowd had gone silent. As I finished singing the song, clapping began as well as cheering. People were shouting that I should sing again. "No, everyone," Legolas said as he walked forward. "She has had a long day. She should rest now."

"Legolas," I said. I wiped away the tears that were still falling. "It's okay. I will sing one more." The ellon stared at me. He nodded and the crowd cheered again. I offered my hand to him. He took it, and I stepped down off the table. "Dance with me." The crowd spread out after they heard me say this. They left a large opening on the floor. They made room for us to dance. Legolas looked confused. I grabbed his hands and put them in their respectable spots on my hip and in my hand. "Just listen to the song and dance slowly." Smiling, I began to sing, and we began to dance.

"Lay down

Your sweet and weary head

Night is falling

You have come to journey's end

Sleep now

Dream of the ones who came before

They are calling

From across a distant shore"

The two of us danced together as I sang. He seemed to know what I wanted to do at certain parts of my song. He spun me around slowly and I continued to sing.

"Why do you weep

What are these tears upon your face

Soon you will see

All of your fears will pass away

Safe in my arms"

When I sang the former line, Legolas had spun me away from him holding my right hand in his left. Then he made me spin towards him. My hand connected with his, wrapped around me and my left hand grabbed his right. It fit along with the part of the song. I smiled.

"You're only sleeping

What can you see

On the horizon

Why do the white gulls call

Across the sea

A pale moon rises

The ships have come

To carry you home"

My singing held a lot of emotion. Legolas gazed into my eyes the entire time we were dancing. I knew I was blushing because of this. The emotion in the song was spread throughout the hall, but most of it was trapped between Legolas and me.

"And all will turn

To silver glass

A light's on the water

All souls pass"

There was no noise coming from the crowd. They were completely silent. When I sang that last line, Legolas dipped me down. I had to pause to catch my breath. If I wanted to finish this song, I would have to focus on something other than Legolas' eyes looking at me.

"Hope fades

Into the World of Night

Through shadows falling

Out of memory and time

Don't say

'We have come now to the End'

White shores are calling

You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms

Just sleeping"

Legolas looked at me confused for a bit. This was a song he did not recognize, but that was because it was a song Galadriel taught me. She made the song. Only the two of us knew it.

"What can you see

On the horizon

Why do the white gulls call

Across the sea

A pale moon rises

The ships have come

To carry you home"

The song was almost done and was slowing down. Our dance was coming to the end. I dared to look back to Legolas. I became trapped in his gaze again, but when he blinked, I was able to finish the song.

"And all will turn

To silver glass

A light's on the water

Grey ships pass

Into the West"

We slowly came to a stop. I had just finished spinning around. The crowd began to clap and cheer like mad. However, I didn't pay attention to that. Legolas and I were still staring at each other. I began to breathe deeply. It was a bad idea to dance and sing at the same time. Whenever Galadriel and I sang it though, we would dance around the room childishly. I was usually a clumsy dancer unless an ellon lead me in the dance.

I began to laugh, and Legolas smiled at me. He wrapped his arms around me. "That was beautiful. It was about going to Valinor, wasn't it?" I nodded. "How do you know what it is like there?"

"Galadriel made the song. She has been to Valinor before. She was born there." I lead him away from the crowd. "The Valar made her go to Middle Earth in exile for participating in a rebellion." We finally escaped the crowd of Men around us. The two of us walked outside. "Brr, it's chilly out."

"The cold doesn't affect Elves."

"That doesn't mean that the cool air can't surprise me with how cold it is." Legolas looked at me and smiled. We walked down to the stables just to move around. "Shadowfax!" I walked over to him. The horse neighed, showing it was happy to see me.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that you like this horse more than me."

"He's not just a horse!" Legolas looked hurt. "And you are more than just the Elf who has kept me safe." I walked back to the ellon. "You are the one I love." He smiled and brought his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Legolas deepened the kiss by opening my mouth with his tongue. My own tongue met his. We continued to kiss for several more seconds. I breathed deeply a few times.

Legolas pushed me against the wall of the stable and began to kiss me again. Our tongues were intertwined and mingled with the other. I felt the ellon's left hand on my hip and his right hand on the side of my face. Legolas broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. "Legolas," I said. He backed away to look at me properly. "I'll have you, if you'll have me."

"So freely?"

"Well, no, I meant in my room." After Haldir had died, I had been allowed to stay in the bedroom next to Eowyn's. My friends didn't want me trying to kill myself again. They took turns checking on me in the night. Whenever Legolas was in the room, making sure I was alright, he would come over to the side of my bed. I was a fairly light sleeper and would hear him coming over. I'd open my eyes and grab on of his hands with my own when he sat down beside me. "And I didn't mean now." He arched an eyebrow. "You'll figure it out."


	21. Chapter 21

"Pippin," I gasped as I opened my eyes. I got out of my bed and ran to the room where he was sleeping. As I was on my way there, Legolas and Aragorn ran in. "Pippin's in trouble." We ran faster and walked into the room. Pippin was grasping a large orb that looked like it was on fire. It was the palantir. "Agh! No, stop it!" I fell to the ground just inside the room. My hands were on the sides of my head. The Dark Lord was able to find me by looking through objects. I could not use the Mirror of the Galadrhim. He would see me. "Stop it," I shouted in agony. Tears were cascading down my face. _Ariane, you will die!_

"Help! Gandalf, help!" Merry shouted franticly. "Someone help him." Aragorn ran in and grabbed the orb. When it switched possession from a Hobbit to a Man, the pain became worse. The voices became louder.

"Aragorn, no," I said. _You will die! Just like your brother! _The Ranger began to pass out. "Stop it! Get out of my head! Stop!" Legolas came over to me. The fiery orb rolled away. Gandalf walked over and covered it with a blanket. As soon as it was covered, the searing pain and voices in my head stopped.

"Fool of a Took!" I looked at Pippin. He was staring off into space. Gandalf went and pushed Merry out of the way. He grabbed hold of the Hobbit's left hand. With his own left hand, Gandalf placed it over the Halfling's face and began saying a spell. When his hand moved away, Pippin inhaled deeply. "Look at me."

"Gandalf, forgive me." Pippin tried to look away.

"Look at me." The two connected gazes again. "What did you see?"

"A tree. There was a white tree… in a courtyard of stone. It was dead." I forced myself into Pippin's head without him knowing. I saw the tree he spoke of. The tree had no leaves, no sign of life in it. The bark of the tree was white, and around the tree it was burning. "The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?"

"I saw… I saw him." My mind was still connected with Pippin's and Sauron got back into my mind. I quickly escaped the Hobbit's mind. My head still hurt, and I flinched in pain. Legolas looked at me. I continued to cry softly. The room was quiet; the doom everyone thought would come was engulfing the room. "I could hear his voice in my head."

"And what did you tell him? Speak!"

"He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me."

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?" Pippin didn't reply. There was utter silence.


	22. Chapter 22

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool… but an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantir a glimpse of the enemy's plan. Sauron moves to attack the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still, strength enough perhaps to challenge him. Sauron fears this."

Gandalf looked over at Pippin. I was sitting on a bench with his head lying on my shoulder. I was stroking his hair, trying to keep him calm. "He will not risk the peoples of Middle-earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground, before he sees a king return to the throne of Men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me," Théoden began. "Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

"I will go," said Aragorn.

"No," Gandalf replied.

"They must be warned."

"They will be. You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the black ships." The wizard spoke directly to the Ranger. "Understand this: things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith, and I won't be going alone." My eyes widened, but I was not surprised. Pippin would have to leave with Gandalf. It was for his safety and the safety of the people in Edoras.


	23. Chapter 23

Legolas and I were practicing. He wanted me to practice my swordsmanship. I didn't think I needed to. I was already better all the other Elf warriors of Lothlorien that were my age. Haldir thought that I was a better student than all Elves. I laughed when he had said this. The memory distracted me. "Ariane!" Legolas' knives came into contact with my sword. The force made me drop it. "What's wrong?" I looked at the ellon. "You just stopped fighting all of a sudden."

"I just remembered something; something Haldir said." Legolas waited for me to continue. "After he gave in to my pleas of being trained, I focused on nothing but learning how to fight. When I no longer needed lessons, he said that I was a better student than all other Elves in Lothlorien." Legolas smiled.

"Then that means you should be able to focus now." I shook my head.

"You know when Pippin had the palantir in his hands, and Sauron was in his head." The ellon beside me nodded. "The thing is, that with a palantir, someone can be looking at you from the other side. That is what Sauron did. If I look into objects that can show you things that may or may not happen, I can be found by others easily. My powers are able to be hidden, but when I look into things like the palantir, it's like my powers become a big sign that says, 'I'm right here.'"

"Okay, so then what happened when Pippin had the palantir?"

I felt tears come to my eyes. "I heard him in my head. If he is ever given the chance to see me, he tries to use me against others. There was a time when I was still learning how to use a sword, where I looked in the mirror in Lothlorien. Galadriel used it regularly. I was curious and decided to see what was so special about this pool of water."

I dropped my swords, and my hands went up to the sides of my face. I fell to my knees. "I was lucky the Lady of Light was on her way to look into the mirror. She was able to pull me away from the water, but Sauron had control over my body." My hands became fists over my ears, as if to block out noise. "I cut her with one of my swords. Haldir arrived, and so did Celeborn. Galadriel was not hurt too badly. I was being held back by Haldir. Sauron still had control over me. Galadriel was able to expel him. I was in a coma for about a month."

Legolas wrapped his arms around me. "It's okay. You are fine. I'm right here beside you."

"Everyone was afraid I would not wake up and afraid of when I would wake up. They didn't know if I would be me. They were lucky I woke up as myself. Truthfully, I had been fighting a losing battle between me and my powers. They wanted me to do Sauron's bidding." I looked up at Legolas. "I don't want to be a target for you all. I don't want to put anyone in danger because Sauron can influence me."

"You won't." He kissed the top of my head.

"Legolas," I whispered.

"Hm?"

"He said I was going to die; I was going to die like Haldir."

"Ariane, you will not die." I blinked away some tears. "I will make sure of that. I will keep you alive."


	24. Chapter 24

"Aragorn," I whispered. Legolas looked at me.

"What have you seen? What did your vision show?" A tear slid down my face.

"Lady Arwen is dying." Legolas wrapped his arms around me. "Her immortality is gone. She has been away from the star for too long." I looked at the ellon beside me. "Should we tell him?"

"I have a feeling he already knows. When she gave him the star, he knew what would happen, but the choice has been made and cannot be undone." I looked at Legolas sadly. "He'll be okay." Suddenly Aragorn came running past us. He looked surprised yet excited as well. We began to follow him.

"The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit!" We followed him to the front of the Golden Hall of Meduseld. He abruptly stopped running. "Gondor calls for aid." There was silence. Everyone waited for Théoden's answer.

"And Rohan will answer. Muster the Rohirrim." Théoden's eyes showed a fierce yearning to end the war over the One Ring. A while later everyone was nearly finished getting ready to depart. My clothes were packed up, and I was no longer wearing my blue dress. I was leaving Meduseld and saw Merry walking up to the King.

"Excuse me." Théoden turned around. "I have a sword. Please accept it. I offer you my service, Théoden King." I watched Merry kneel before him, but Théoden touched the Hobbit's arm and lifted him up.

"And gladly I accept it." I smiled. Merry would never have stayed no matter how much we asked him. "You shall be Meriadoc- esquire of Rohan." Eagerly, the Hobbit went to prepare himself to leave. Théoden looked up and saw me.

"That was very noble of you." I smiled, and so did the King.

"From what I have observed, Merry would have come anyway."

"Are you going to let him fight?" He was quiet.

"I am afraid to answer yes for I do not wish to cause his life to stop short."

"By being noble, you will get a great soldier out of him. By being noble, he will be noble in turn." The King of Rohan stood still to mull over the words I had spoken. He smiled when he seemed to have come to a conclusion.

"Then he will risk his life for a noble cause." I smiled and then went to finish getting ready.

I was getting onto the white horse Legolas and I had gotten used to sharing. "I probably already know the answer, but will you stay back and out of battle?" Legolas walked up to me. I arched an eyebrow. "Even though you didn't speak, you answered clearly." Gimli walked over to join Aragorn on his horse.

"Horse-Men," he grunted. "I wish I could muster a legion of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy."

"Why? So they can cause the enemy to flee due to their smell and appearance? I don't think that'll work considering they are probably worse." Gimli narrowed his eyes.

"Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands." Fearfully, I turned to the ellon. I had not thought that Mordor would reach past us and to the rest of Middle Earth. Would they attack Lothlorien? Will my brothers Rumil and Orophin be okay? How will they protect themselves when a large part of their defenses were sent to Helm's Deep and aid Rohan? _Do not worry, Ariane. We will be fine. Most of the Elves of Lothlorien have left for the Gray Havens. We are safe._ The quick message I got from Galadriel reassured me, and I was able to turn my focus to the war ahead that I was going to be a part of.

"Now is the hour! Riders of Rohan, oaths you have taken. Now, fulfill them all. To lord and land!" As the army began to gallop away, I had a vision appear. I saw Boromir and a man beside him. They hugged and laughed. I watched them drink and fight beside each other. Then I realized that they looked a lot alike in appearance. The vision changed to where the other man was fighting Orcs in a crumbling city. He and his men began to retreat.

Nazgul appeared. They came on fell beasts. Their shrieks were heard, and I instinctively brought my hands to my ears. Many men were stricken down. Then Gandalf appeared. Pippin sat in front of him on Shadowfax. Gandalf cast a bright light. The fell beasts and their riders escaped the light and left.

When the vision ended, I was being held against Legolas' body to make sure I did not fall. "We need to hurry. Osgiliath has fallen to Mordor. I fear that Boromir's brother may have been injured."


	25. Chapter 25

"Faramir is okay; Pippin and Gandalf too. Faramir has a clouded future. I cannot clearly see where it will go. I think his father is plotting his own son's death. He thinks that by killing the younger, the older will return." I spoke to those of the Fellowship. Gimli was glad to hear everyone was fine, and Merry was especially relieved to hear Pippin was alright. Legolas was glad to learn that my vision from earlier was cleared up. I hadn't seen Boromir's brother after seeing him fighting. I didn't know if he made it out of Osgiliath. Aragorn was worried about how the turn of events was occurring. How would he be able to ascend to the position of king with the way things were going?

Unwillingly, I connected with Pippin's mind, and I began to sing along with him:

"Home is behind, the world ahead

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadow, to the edge of night

Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow, cloud and shade

All shall fade, all shall fade"

I screamed. "Faramir is going to die. Denethor sent him to recapture Osgiliath. No one is going to survive."

Legolas grabbed my shoulders. "Calm down. Calm down."

"We have to leave, now!"

"To do what?" I turned towards Aragorn. Everyone else within earshot was looking at me. "We won't make it in time. We are still a few days journey away."

"We can try!"

"Legolas please have her calm down and come to her senses." I walked up to Aragorn and slapped him. All the Riders of Rohan stood in complete shock. "We can't save them."

"I am not going to allow another man of Gondor die because I had the chance to save them." Aragorn looked to Legolas again, and Legolas came and grabbed me around the waist. "No! No! Put me down!" He walked me to the path down the mountain. "We have to go!"

"Ariane, look at me," he whispered. I locked my eyes onto his. "We will not make it in time." I finally broke down. Legolas wrapped me in his arms. The tears seemed to never stop.

By the time I had calmed down, the sun was almost down. I was eating some stew. Legolas stayed by my side. On the one hand, he didn't want to leave me alone, but on the other hand, he didn't want me sneaking off ahead of everyone. When my bowl was nearly empty, I stopped to think. "Ariane, would you like more?" I shook my head and gave the dishes to Legolas. With the little bit still there, he scooped it up and ate it.

"Legolas…," I mumbled.

"Yes," the ellon replied.

"What am I going to do when this is all over, whether the outcome be good or bad? Where will my life go? Will I be killed for opposing Sauron or will I live for many years after?" Legolas passed the dirty dishes to someone. Then he grabbed my hands. I was lead to a tent. Legolas had my lie down.

"Get some rest while you can." I shook my head.

"I can't. There is too much going on. I won't be able to sleep." Legolas was watching me, as if he would not be able to help me. I brought my hands close to my face to look at them. I didn't think there was anything I could do with how I was feeling. The world seemed so dark, and the light had been engulfed in smoke.

"Ariane, are succumbing to grief?" I looked at him confused. Legolas knelt down beside me.

"Am I?" I sat up.

"In Helm's Deep, you promised me you wouldn't." I stared blankly at him. There were tears that were beginning to form in his eyes. My own eyes seemed like they would not allow much light to enter them.

"I keep that promise." I brought Legolas' lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss, but I poured out all of my feelings. Legolas was the one who ended the kiss. He looked into my eyes.

"Your eyes are becoming brighter than they were before." He smiled. "Don't forget the promise I am making you keep." Smiling in return, I nodded. Legolas pulled me out of the dark. I realized that I had only know him for a short time. I would not want to hurt him because I leave this world.

"To the smithy, go." Eowyn's voice was heard nearby.

"You should not encourage him." Eomer tried to put a stop to Eowyn's actions.

"You should not doubt him." I stood up and exited the tent, and Legolas was close behind me.

"I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm." As I stood by the fire before me, where Eomer and Eowyn were, I waited quietly just in case Eowyn needed some help.

"Why should Merry be left behind? He has as much cause to go to war as you. Why can he not fight for those he loves?"

"You know as little of war as that Hobbit. When the fear takes him, and the blood and screams and the horror of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight?" I clenched my hands into fists. "He would flee. He would be right to do so. War is the province of Men, Eowyn." Eomer turned back toward the fire.

"Then why is Ariane fighting? She is not a Man; she's an Elf." Smiling I walked over to join Eowyn. "Why is she allowed to fight? If this is a province of Men, then why are there two Elves and a dwarf here?"

"Eowyn, this conversation is done." I walked to Eomer's side.

"Eomer," I said. The horseman turned to me. I smiled and then punched him in the face. "I know that we are short on soldiers. It would be wise to accept the help that is offered."

"I do not take your advice. You, as well, have not seen true war."

"And you have? How did you feel the first time you went into battle? Were you afraid of death? Or perhaps you were afraid of giving up your life protecting your land?"

"I was terrified." I stopped antagonizing Eomer. "I did not know true war. And every time I fight, I am afraid of losing my life. That is why I will not let my sister join me on the battlefield." I turned to Eowyn. She was holding back tears, but then she ran back into the tent behind her.

"She is terrified that you will not come back, and that she didn't have a chance to aid you." I walked away.

"Ariane! Ariane, wait!" I stopped. Legolas walked around me to speak to me directly. "How do you think Haldir would feel if someone said those things to him? What would he do?" Tears began to brim.

"I don't know! He's dead!" I clutched the locket around my neck. "I wouldn't know even if he was alive. Haldir would never have listened to someone saying that stuff." Legolas hugged me as I let myself cry for a bit. He scooped me up into his arms and brought me back to our tent.

"Please rest. At least close your eyes if you cannot sleep." As I got settled, Legolas was about to leave. I grabbed his hand. "Ariane?"

"Stay with me." He smiled and moved around to the other side of the cot. Lying on the portable bed, he propped his head up on his elbow. Legolas wrapped his other arm around my side. One of my hands was intertwined with his. I closed my eyes to rest.

About ten minutes passed. I had not fallen asleep, much to the ellon's dismay. He saw my appearance change. When I opened my eyes, they were white, but they changed back to their blue color. The blonde hair I receive during the visions began to fade; brown hair taking its place. "Lord Elrond approaches." I stood up and walked to King Théoden's tent. Legolas was calling my name. "Théoden." The king turned around to see me.

"Yes, Ariane," he answered.

"The Lord of Rivendell is on his way here. He wishes to see Aragorn." After I said this, a guard walked in and announced the arrival of Elrond.

"Ariane?" I surprised Arwen's father just by the fact that I was there. "Is Arwen going to be okay? I can't see where her future lies any longer." I looked to the future of his daughter; my eyes and hair changing color. When I finished, I replied:

"Yes and the rest of her life will be full of happiness." Aragorn arrived in the tent.

"I shall take my leave," Théoden said. Legolas and I followed suit. "What's going to happen?" The two turned to me.

"I swear if this is what my life will be like once the war is over, I would rather reside in Mordor," I said jokingly. I looked into the future once again. I saw the path to the door under the mountain. It opened and consumed Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, but then they emerged looking stronger, more powerful. Assuming I was supposed to be with them, I said, "We are going into the mountain to gain some allies."


	26. Chapter 26

The road was silent. That is, until Gimli spoke. "What kind of army would linger in such a place?" The air was dry; the land was barren. There was no life other than the four of us venturing through the mountain pass.

"One that is cursed," Legolas said. "Long ago, the Men of the Mountains swore an oath to the last king of Gondor to come to his aid and to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled by vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. So, Isildur cursed them; never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge."

"Who shall call them from the grey twilight? The forgotten people, the heir of him to whom they swore an oath. From the north he shall come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead." My voice was eerie and echoed as I spoke the known foresight of the way the curse would be broken.

We walked further on the mountain road. When we reached the entrance, the aura was darker. It was foreboding.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away."

"That is because the dead do not feel warmth, and they want those who approach to feel the emptiness they feel."

"The way is shut," Legolas said after I finished speaking to Gimli. "It was made by those who are dead, and the Dead keep it. The way is shut" He read the inscription that was carved into the rock above the doorway. A rush of wind seemed to emanate from inside the mountain. A faint growl came along with the gust. The horses we had were frightened. Aragorn and Legolas had to let go of the reins. The animals would not follow us into the mountain. It was better for them to flee.

"I do not fear death." I watched Aragorn walk through the doorway. Legolas followed.

"Well, this is a thing unheard-of. An Elf will go underground where a Dwarf dare not?"

"It's about to become two," I said and then walked inside.

"Oh, oh, I'd never hear the end of it."

We walked for a while in darkness; our only light from a single torch. "What is it? What do you see?"

"I see shapes of men… and of horses."

"Where," Gimli asked Legolas.

"Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise… like winter-thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following. They have been summoned"

"The Dead?" Gimli turned around and walked backwards. "Summoned? I knew that." He turned back around to walk forwards again. "Very good. Very good!"

"Ah!" I leaned against the wall. "Stay out of my head!"

"Legolas! Your lassie is having some difficulties."

"Ariane, are you okay?"

Smiling weakly, I whispered, "The Dead are trying to use me against you. I'll be fine. Lady Galadriel trained me in warding off spirits. It's just going to take a lot of my energy because of how many there are."

"Here," he grabbed me and hoisted me onto his back.

"I just said that I will be fine."

"We don't need you fainting on us in here. Let me carry you. Focus on keeping control." The four of us moved further into the cave.

"Gimli, you sound like an idiot. Stop blowing the dead away. It's not going to stop them. Besides, I am keeping most of them away." I heard the Dwarf grumble slightly.

"Do not look down." I had already heard the crunch. I was able to figure out what was on the path under our feet. We hurried and walked into a large cavern. I saw stairs that lead somewhere, and there was a cliff that extended beyond even mine and Legolas' sight. I had Legolas set me down on my feet.

"Who enters my domain?" We all turned around. A transparent figure appeared in front of the stairs. He was dressed in kingly garb and wore a damaged crown on his head.

"One who will have your allegiance."

"The Dead do not suffer the living to pass."

"You will suffer me." The ghostly king began to laugh. It became deeper and echoed off the walls. On the other side of the cliff near the ceiling, a palace began to form. Thousands of the Dead walked over the abyss. Eventually they had us surrounded.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead. And the Dead keep it. The way is shut. Now you must die." Legolas fired an arrow that went through the king's head, not causing harm since he had been dead for thousands of years.

"I summon you to fulfill your oath." Aragorn began to walk towards the only one who was speaking.

"None but the king of Gondor may command me." The two swung their swords at the other. "That line was broken," the spirit king said when he saw the sword in Aragorn's hand. The heir to the throne of Gondor clasped his left hand around the spirit's throat.

"It has been remade." Aragorn pushed him away. "Fight for us and regain your honor. What say you?" He began to move through the ghostly crowd. "What say you," he demanded when no answer was given.

"You waste your time, Aragorn," Gimli said. "They had no honor in life, they have none now in death."

"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled." There was still no answer. "What say you?" Laughing was heard once more, and the Dead began to fade away. "You have my word! Fight and I will release you from this living death! What say you?!"

"Stand, you traitors!" Then, we were alone in the cave. The earth began to tremble. Rock began to break apart. Skulls began to roll out from the staircase like a waterfall.

"Out!" Legolas came to me.

"I'm fine; they've stopped!" I began to run after Aragorn. Soon, there were so many skulls that they came up to my waist. "Run!" We finally made it to the exit on the other side of the cavern from where we entered. Exiting the mountain, we saw the boats we were supposed to stop. Aragorn fell to his knees. "Wait!"

The four of us turned around. Just as I had sensed, the king of the dead walked through the mountain out to meet us. "We fight." I smiled. The ghostly king extended his arm. Aragorn met it with his own. "We fight to fulfill our oath."


	27. Chapter 27

"You may go no further. You will not enter Gondor." The men on the ships looked at us bewildered. They began to laugh.

"Who are you to deny us passage?"

"Legolas, Ariane, fire a warning shot past the bosun's ears."

"Mind your aim." Gimli was being an idiot.

"Look who's talking. Have you learned nothing of our Elf eyes?" I was astounded at what he did next. Right after I had said that, Gimli nudged both of our bows. Legolas' arrow hit a man right in the chest. Mine pierced a man's eye.

"Oooh, that's it. Right, we warned you. Prepare to be boarded." I pounded my fist on the top of Gimli's helmet. "Arh, that hurt."

"Perhaps next time, you won't meddle with our aim."

"Boarded? By you and whose army?" All the people on the ship ignored the argument happening between an Elf and a Dwarf.

"This army," Aragorn mumbled. I watched the undead come running through us, over the water, and onto the boats.

"Now why don't you go join the dead in taking over these ships?"

"I cannot board them; they're in the middle river." I smirked.

"Didn't you hear me? Go join the **dead** in taking over these ships." The Dwarf and I stared each other down. Aragorn and Legolas were beside themselves. What could they do to prevent us from fighting each other? Before they had to step in, I began to laugh. The Dwarf followed suit. Little did he know that I was going to get back at him.


	28. Chapter 28

I turned towards Mordor. I walked to the part of the ship closest to the shadowed land. _Earendil._ "What is it Ariane?" I looked back to the other three. I smiled.

"Earendil, a star loved by all the Elves of Lothlorien. It was a gift from the Lady of Light for Frodo back in Lothlorien. I can feel its light. Frodo is alive, and he is almost to Mount Doom. However," I said and then frowned. "He is caught in Shelob's web."

"Ariane, we're almost there. Are we going to win?" I looked at Aragorn. I went searching through time and space. "I do not know. I have been checking that for a while. Nothing has been set in stone… yet, at least." I began to sing:

"Home is behind, the world ahead

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadow, to the edge of night

Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow, cloud and shade

All shall fade, all shall fade"

"Have you lads seen my ax?" I turned to Gimli. "I set it down a minute ago, and now I can't find it."

"Gee Gimli, I have no idea," I said dramatically. "It appears that you will have to search **high** and low for it." The Dwarf was confused by my words. I looked above me where his ax was tied to the mast holding the largest sail.

"Now that is just foul play, lassie," he said. I giggled.

"Have you learned something?"

"Get my ax down!"

"Don't ever get me upset, or you will face the consequences" I shot an arrow at the rope holding the ax in place. The arrowhead was sharp enough that it severed the rope, and since I had fired it almost completely straight up, the arrow fell back down to the boat. I watched the rope unwind; the ax clattered to the deck of the ship. "If you want the pranks to end here, I suggest you heed my words."


	29. Chapter 29

"Late as usual! You lousy, pirate scum!"

"You ready?" I turned to Legolas. I kissed him quickly.

"Always," I answered.

"There's knife-work here needs doing. Come on, you sea rats! Get off your ships!" Aragorn jumped over the side of the boat onto the ground. Gimli was tossed over by Legolas. As Gimli was in the air, I jumped over the rail and flipped in the air. Legolas landed on the ground beside me.

"There's plenty for the both of us."

"If I beat you guys, will you stop this competition?" Gimli laughed.

"May the best Dwarf win." All I know is that I fought as hard as I could. My swords went left then right. I rarely had my bow out. By the time I had gotten off the pier to the river, I had twenty-three kills. At this rate, it was going to be easy to beat Gimli and Legolas.

"Legolas!" I turned around. Instead of a cry of despair, I learned that it was one of warning. The ellon climbed up the giant Mumakil. I heard a trumpeting sound. Turning around in time, I too climbed up a Mumakil as well. Once I got to the top, I felt and arrow whizz past me and graze across my cheek. Ignoring the fact that I almost got shot, I went to work and soon I had the Oliphaunt dead on the ground. I moved further away from Minas Tirith and towards Osgiliath. I jumped onto a second Oliphaunt, which soon became a third. The further I went towards Osgiliath, the more kills I had. I eventually found a couple of trolls and took them down as well.

When the Dead reached me, I was nearly halfway between the two cities of Gondor. I stopped my fighting, and I slowly worked my way to Minas Tirith. I felt something drip down my face. With my sleeve, I wiped away some blood. I found the cut on my cheek that must have been from the arrow earlier. Holding my hand against the wound, I slowly began to jog back. "Ariane?!"

Smiling, I shouted, "I'm on my way!" I saw Legolas looking at me. I waved, and he began to run towards me. Just to get to him faster, I started to run too.

"Ariane! Don't go that far away! I thought you were dead somewhere." He brought my face to his and kissed me. Wrapping my arms around him, we came closer to the other. After we parted, he looked at me and said, "You're hurt."

"It's just a small cut." He wiped the blood away and saw that it was not deep and was very short. "I will be fine." He sighed and grabbed my hand. "I'll get it looked at, okay?" We began to walk to Minas Tirith together.

"So, what was your count Elf?"

"Gimli, don't use that description for him again, unless you want to mess with me."

"It's okay Ariane. Well after this battle, I ended with 81."

"That's pretty good, but I have you at 83."

"You said you would stop this competition if I beat you right, well how many points do I get for three Mumakil and two trolls?" They looked at me, and then they looked at each other.

"One," The said simultaneously. I smiled and thought for a moment.

"Okay, let's see five for the bunch plus… and there those… and the ones by the river…"

"Spit it out lassie!"

"104," I said flatly.

"You're joking." I shook my head. Gimli stomped off. I was glad this little competition between my friends was over.

"When did you become such an amazing fighter?"

"When did you doubt my skills?" I smiled. "Would you find it strange that I would want an Oliphaunt as a pet?" He rolled his eyes, and we headed for the White City. While we walked, I heard a distraught scream.

"No!" I looked ahead of me, and I saw Eomer run several yards. He grabbed onto a person that was lying on the battlefield; someone with long, blonde hair. "No!"

"Eowyn," I gasped. My legs brought me to the brother and sister as fast as they could. "Oh, Eowyn…" I stashed my weapons and walked over to the Rider of Rohan. "Eomer, let me help. Please, it is the least I can do considering I had influence over her joining the fight." At first, Eomer just glared at me. Some tears came to my eyes. "Please…"

Reluctantly, he allowed me to get closer. My eyes looked over her body. It didn't look like she had been hurt, but then I noticed that one of her arms had almost gone limp. I feared that the bone may have broken. Slowly, I moved away the clothing that covered her arm. I gasped. Her arm was badly bruised; it was almost completely blue and purple.

"Come on, let's get her inside the walls of Minas Tirith. Hopefully, we can get her healed."


	30. Chapter 30

"Merry!" Pippin called out for his best friend.

"Merry!" I joined in. Pippin had looked apprehensive when he was searching earlier. The sun had gone down, and the darkness of night was beginning to settle.

"Merry!"

"Where are you, Merry?!" I was looking everywhere, and I was beginning to lose hope. What if he had not made it?

"Ariane, I found him!" Turning around, the Hobbit pushed a large Orc away. I ran over to him. "Merry." Pippin picked his friend up slightly. "Merry, it's me." I smiled as Merry opened his eyes. "It's Pippin."

"Hello Pip," Merry choked out. "I knew you'd find me."

"Yes." Pippin brushed away some of his friend's hair.

"Are you going to leave me?"

"No, Merry. I'm going to look after you." I grabbed the discarded cloak nearby and handed it to Pippin. He then laid it out over the Hobbit lying on the ground.


	31. Chapter 31

Wearing my blue dress, I was looking at the only flower on the white tree of Gondor. I knew that Aragorn would make a great king. He was going to be able to govern his people, protect them, and lead them to war. I had been trying to look into the outcome of this war for several hours now, but nothing had changed. Everything was still cloudy. This was beginning to frustrate me because this had never happened. Was I losing the ability to look into the future? Maybe I was looking at something to big. But then why was I still not able to look for Frodo or Sam? I couldn't even look for Galadreil in the future. What was wrong with me? To ease my mind, I started to sing a song that Galadriel had taught me.

"With a sigh

You turn away

With a deepening heart

No more words to say

You will find

That the world has changed

Forever

And the trees are now

Turning from green to gold

And the sun is now fading

I wish I could hold you

Closer"

"You have a beautiful voice." I turned around to see Faramir. "I was told that you tried to save me." I nodded.

"I saw you in a vision with Boromir. I noticed the resemblance and put two and two together. I saw what your father was doing to you."

"It's okay. It is almost as bad as what he has done to me my whole life."

"I wanted everyone to hurry and get to Minas Tirith faster. I didn't want to see another Man of Gondor die when I could have saved them." Faramir nodded. "I'm sorry Boromir died. He protected me. Of course I protected him first and then got shot with an arrow, but then he took three arrows to protect me…" I looked at Faramir. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Done?" I nodded. He walked up and hugged me. "Thank you for trying anyway. To know that a maiden, such as yourself, cares for the good of other people not of her kin is truly unique. There are few Elves who think well of Men nowadays."

"It's okay. When are you going to talk to her?" Faramir pulled away from me. "Eowyn… when are you going to talk to her?" He looked at me confused. "Gift of sight; I can see in your eyes that you fancy her" I said. "You won't be able to know her if you don't even talk to her."

"Ariane!" I looked past Faramir and saw Legolas. I smiled and waved.

"Legolas!" I ran up to him and hugged him as if my life depended on it. He spun me around. "Have you figured it out yet?" He looked at me questioningly. "I guess that means no."

"There's going to be a small meeting in the throne room." I nodded, and Legolas grabbed my hand.


	32. Chapter 32

"Frodo has gone beyond my sight. What about you Ariane?"

"I haven't been able to look into anyone's future as of late."

"The darkness is deepening," Gandalf said.

"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it."

"It's only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."

"Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?" I walked over to the ignorant Dwarf.

"How about because Frodo is in Mordor? That means that if Sauron stays there, Frodo can be found."

"Ariane, take it easy." Legolas walked me away from the Dwarf who sat on the throne that was meant for kings. I walked with him to the other side of the platform the extravagant chair stood on. Legolas sat down against the stairway that lead to a higher platform. He motioned for me to sit beside him. I crossed my arms defiantly. "Ariane," he sighed. Reluctantly, I did what the ellon wanted and sat on the floor next to him.

"Ariane is right Master Dwarf. 10,000 Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom." Gandalf was quiet for a moment. "I've sent him to his death."

"No," Aragorn said turning to the wizard. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" I smiled. Aragorn had understood my wording before.

"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate."

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms," said Eomer.

"Not for ourselves."

"For Frodo," I stated.

"We can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion." I nodded at Legolas. He nudged me in the side. I narrowed my eyes.

"Cut it out. Stop treating me like a child," I whispered.

"Then stop acting like one." I grumbled to myself and crossed my arms again.

"Certainty of death… small chance of success… what are we waiting for?"

"Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait," Gandalf replied, shaking his head.

"Oh, I think he will."


	33. Chapter 33

"Where's Aragorn?" I was running franticly. Gimli shook his head. "Legolas, Gandalf, where is Aragorn?"

"He is in the throne hall." I nodded and headed in that direction. "Ariane, don't go in there."

"I have to. The star is going to break." What I said probably didn't make sense, but I did not have time to lose. "I need to get there to catch it."

"Ariane, you don't understand. He's-" I pushed the doors open and immediately faltered. Aragorn had flinched away from something.

"Long have you hunted me. Long have I eluded you." I walked towards the front of the room. "No more. Behold the Sword of Elendil."

"Aragorn!" The King to Gondor did not turn when I called his name.

"Ariane, stop! You are going to get hurt!" Legolas tried to get me to get me out of the throne room. I ran to Aragorn just as I heard a thud. I heard a small jingling sound. Jumping with my arms in front of me, I reached for Arwen's jewel. Before it could shatter against the ground, it landed in my hands.

"Ariane?" I stood up and handed the necklace over to Aragorn. "Thank you, but you need to leave."

"Why?" Aragorn's eyes accidentally shifted behind him swiftly. I followed his brief gaze. The palantir lay on the floor before us. "No," I shouted, and then I screamed in agony. I had hoped to never see that cursed object again.

"I told you not to come in here," Legolas said as he covered my eyes with one of his hands. My arms were stiff at my sides. With his other hand, the ellon grabbed one of my wrists. "Aragorn cover that thing up." Feet shuffled over the ground. A small gust of wind blew across my face. "Shh, shh, calm down Ariane. It's okay. I'm here with you." I was lucky Sauron had not seen me, otherwise I would have been in more pain than I had just experienced.

"No… no…" I only seemed to be able to get that one word out. I grabbed onto Legolas' hands; my left one with the one on my wrist, the right one with the one over my eyes. My shoulders twitched a few times involuntarily.

"Ariane, I'm here. The palantir is covered." I was breathing very quickly. "It's okay." Legolas slowly lowered the two of us to the ground. Gradually, I began to calm down. My chest moved at a steady pace. When my eyes were uncovered, I was staring at the king's throne. "How do you feel?" Legolas helped me sit up. I turned to face him, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Legolas… Legolas… I'm sorry. I didn't listen to you. If I had, we wouldn't be in this situation. I'm sorry." The ellon began to run his hand down my hair. "I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

"Shh, it's okay. You're fine now. You cannot look in the palantir. It will be destroyed when this is all over; I promise you." I let go of the ellon. He kissed my forehead. "Let's get out of here and find us some food." I smiled weakly and nodded. Legolas and I stood up. I made eye contact with Aragorn.

"Ariane, I'm sorry. It's my fault you looked at the palantir. My eyes looked in the direction of the orb."

"It's okay. I am also at fault. I walked into the room."

"Thank you for catching Arwen's star," he said as Legolas and I were leaving.

"I saw in a vision that it would fall, and then I saw that Arwen would get it better if the jewel survived. I knew that I had to catch it." Legolas grabbed my hand, and we left the hall.


	34. Chapter 34

"Ariane, please stay."

"No, if you are going, then I am going. If I am going to lose you, then I am going to lose you on the battlefield beside you. I don't want to find out about your death when someone returns." Legolas touched my cheeks with his hands. "I can't see anyone's future right now. I don't know if you will be okay."

"I don't want to lose you on the battlefield like you lost Haldir." I leaned forward and kissed him.

"The only way I will stay is if you figure out what I meant back in Edoras." He smiled.

"And if I figure it out, you will stay?" I gulped and then nodded. He knelt down, on one knee. "Will you marry me? Will you bind yourself to me?" I started to cry. He immediately stood up and hugged me. I began pounding my fists on his chest. I knew that he was probably smiling at my reaction. Legolas grabbed my hands.

"You weren't supposed to figure it out yet! You were supposed to ask after this was over!" He kissed me. Tears continued to fall. I opened my mouth for him. "Yes, I will bind myself to you, but that means that you have to come back!"

"Of course I will be coming back." Legolas kissed me again briefly. He picked me up in his arms and brought me to our bed. He laid me down and then held himself over me. I touched the side of his face. My hand moved to the back of his head to bring his face to mine. Our lips touched.

"Legolas," I whispered. He touched our foreheads to each other. Then he propped his body up above mine. "Before you leave, I want you to take me. If you die, I want a good memory of the time we spent together." Legolas nodded. He kissed my cheek and then moved to my ear.

"I'm not going to die." He nipped at my ear. His lips slid down to my neck. Placing several kisses there, Legolas continued back to my mouth. We began to kiss deeply. He ended the kiss and moved away from me slightly. "I need you to sit up so I can get your dress off."

After I sat up, I moved to the edge of our bed. I sat with my feet touching the floor. Legolas began to undo the buttons on the back of my dress. His face was nuzzled up against my neck. When the last button was undone, he slowly slid the sleeves down my arms. His fingertips left a trail of goose bumps. Once my dress was off, I was left in my undergarments. I turned around and pushed Legolas onto the bed.

As he was lying there, I moved so I was straddling his hips. He smiled mischievously at me. "Don't look at me like that," I said while blushing. I started to undo the buttons of his shirt. I finished, and I gazed at the smooth chest of my lover. Slowly, I moved my hands down his chest. They reached his stomach. He grabbed both of my hands with his own.

Legolas flipped us over. I lay there under him. His right hand held onto my neck just below my left ear. He latched his lips to mine and began to kiss me deeply. When he broke the kiss, Legolas sat up and pulled his shirt off all the way. I could tell he was getting frisky. There was a bulge between his legs beneath his pants, but soon they were off of him. We both were left there in our undergarments.

He quickly went to work, and soon, my bra was gone. My face heated up in embarrassment. I covered up my breasts and closed my eyes. "No, you're beautiful. Don't hide from me." As I opened my eyes, I saw him gazing at me. He slowly moved my arms away. Curiously, he touched my chest. I moaned slightly. "You like it when I touch them?"

"Yes… I don't know. I have never done this before, and I don't know what I am supposed to do."

"I haven't done this before either, but I know some of the basics. It makes me happy to know that I am your first." Legolas began to rub my breasts. He brushed against the tips a couple times. Then, he brought his mouth to my chest. I began to moan a little more loudly.

"Legolas," I whispered. He brought his face up to mine. I grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. He got me to open my mouth for him, and he had access to my tongue. I wrapped my arms around his neck. We continued to kiss; wrapping our tongues around the other. Legolas moved one of his hands down my body. He reached between my legs and started to rub. I moaned again.

"If we want to continue, I should remove this piece of clothing," he said in a sarcastic tone. He sat up and pulled my underwear down my legs. Then, he pulled the last of his clothing off as well. I covered my eyes. "What?"

"I haven't seen an ellon naked before."

"And you think I've seen an elleth completely bare?" I felt him place himself over me. "Remember, this is both our first time doing anything like this." He brought his mouth next to my ear. "Besides, if we are getting married, we will be seeing each other nude often." Legolas licked the tip of my ear. I moaned quite loudly.

He knelt between my legs. He positioned his member at my entrance. "Be gentle." Legolas nodded. I put some of the sheets on the bed into my mouth. When I experience a lot of pain, I have been known for biting down on my tongue and lower lip. He remembered the time he had to saw the end of the arrow in order to remove it from my shoulder. I heard Legolas laugh a little, and then he began to push himself into me.

My grip on the sheets was hurting my jaw, but at least I wasn't digging my teeth into a part of me. Once he was completely inside, Legolas moved to lick the tip of my ear again. I felt the pain slowly subsiding. When the pain was completely gone, I took the sheet out of my mouth. Legolas was still licking my ear, causing me to moan. He backed away to look at my face. What he saw was pure lust in my eyes.

"Are you alright?" I nodded and bucked my hips. He smiled and began to move. I moaned to each of his thrusts. Legolas started slowly, but he pumped hard. He grunted with each of his drives into me.

"Faster," I somehow mumbled. Heeding my request, Legolas began to go faster. My moans increased in volume. I felt both of us getting close to release. My stomach was tightening up. Legolas was starting to groan more and more. "Legolas," I gasped. He looked at me. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, and then he kissed me. He pumped harder and faster. After a couple more thrusts, the two of us came. He pulled out and lay down beside me. Legolas brought me to his chest. The covers were placed over our bodies. I felt tears come to my eyes. "I'm not going to die." That was the last thing I heard from him.

* * *

When I woke up, Legolas was not next to me on the bed. I saw that his weapons were gone. It was very quiet. Then I realized that all the males were leaving to go fight. I was left to wish for my lover to return.


	35. Chapter 35

I had gotten back into my dress and braided my hair. I was standing with Eowyn near the top of Minas Tirith. We were watching those who could fight, leave the White City. "The city has fallen silent. There is no warmth left in the sun. It grows so cold." My gaze left the soldiers leaving, to my feet, bare, with nothing to protect them. It was similar to what was happening now. I was left here in Minas Tirith. My protector was gone, absent from this moment.

"It's just the damp of the first spring rain." The two of us turned to see Faramir. He walked up to Eowyn's side. He smiled softly at her. I could tell she was taken by the gaze of his eyes. "I don't believe this darkness will endure." Faramir grabbed onto her hand tightly as a sign of comfort. Eowyn lay her head down on his shoulder. He nuzzled his head against hers.

Turning away, I let some tears fall. "Ariane," Eowyn said. I looked back towards the two young lovebirds. "He will come back." She smiled. "And then the two of you will be wed. I will make sure that it is a grand occasion." She looked towards my locket. "Haldir will be proud that you have found someone with whom you want to share your life with."

"Yeah?" She nodded. "Then I will make sure that your wedding is a nice ceremony as well." Both Eowyn and Faramir blushed. I felt my eyes and hair change color. It felt like this would be the last time I would have a vision. But as quickly as it came, the apparition went away. "I think the wedding will have to be before I leave for Valinor. Everyone from Lothlorien is leaving. Lady Galadriel has advised that I join her on the last ship to leave for the Undying lands."

Eowyn nodded, and we turned to gaze at the landscape. This could be our last day as free people. I could not stand this sadness any longer. I walked to the staircase and sat down. To ease the pain I felt, I began to sing, but the song itself was not cheerful.

"Where once was light

Now darkness falls

Where once was love

Love is no more

Don't say goodbye

Don't say I didn't try

These tears we cry

Are falling rain

For all the lies you told us

The hurt, the blame

And we will weep to be so alone

We are lost

We can never go home

So in the end

I'll be what I will be

No loyal friend

Was ever there for me

Now we say goodbye

We say you didn't try

These tears you cry

Have come too late

Take back the lies

The hurt the blame

And you will weep

When you face the end alone

You are lost

You can never go home

You are lost

You can never go home"

I brought my hands to my eyes. This was the end. It was the end, and I wouldn't be able to see him one last time.


	36. Chapter 36

My eyes became white, and my hair became blonde. It was only briefly. I opened my eyes and saw light. I felt tears come to my eyes. "Ariane, are you okay?" I turned to Eowyn and nodded.

"It's over. The Ring has been destroyed. Everyone is coming back- Gandalf, Gimli, Eomer, Aragorn, Legolas, Sam and Frodo too." Eowyn and Faramir were looking at me. "They're alive. All of our friends are coming back alive. I don't even think anyone got hurt badly."

I began to run to the doors of the palace area of Minas Tirith. I pushed my way out and went to the end of the courtyard. Eowyn and Faramir were shouting my name. When I reached the wall, I looked over it and gazed down at the returning soldiers. Almost the entire battalion was walking through the entryway. My eyes focused on Shadowfax where only Peregrin Took sat. I looked to the sky near Mordor. There was hardly any smoke other than what was coming from Mount Doom. Coming through the pillars of smoke and ash were the giant eagles.

Gandalf was on the back of one of the birds. In the eagle's talons lay Frodo, unconscious. The eagle on the left held Sam. "Ariane!" I looked behind me and Eowyn was smiling. She pointed down at the horses that were carrying the soldiers back. On the white horse that I would always ride sat a familiar Elf. "Go to him; he will be happy to see you."

Right after she had said this, I ran past her and headed to the staircase that led to the lower levels. I ran as fast as I could. The faster I would run, the sooner I would get to Legolas. When I was at the top of the third level, I looked over the edge to see where Legolas was. All the soldiers had begun to go up the second level of Minas Tirith. Starting to run again, laughter came from my mouth. I was almost to the bottom of the level I was on.

I pushed the doors that blocked the entrance and exit of the two levels. "Legolas!" He looked up and saw me running.

"Go to her laddie," I heard Gimli say. The ellon jumped off the horse. His feet were quiet as they hit the stone walkway just like mine were. As we reached each other, I jumped into his arms, and he spun the two of us around. Although there were tears in my eyes, I was smiling. Legolas stopped spinning, put my feet back on the ground, brought his hands to the sides of my face, and firmly planted his lips on mine.

I heard cheering behind us. We forgot that there were people behind us, but we didn't care. We only paid attention to the one we loved. Legolas broke the kiss. He looked at me smiling. Even his eyes smiled at me. "I love you, Ariane." Tears were still slowly cascading down my cheeks. He hugged me again and even tighter than before. Legolas put his mouth beside my ear. "I told you I wouldn't die." I laughed a little. I guess he was right.


	37. Chapter 37

"Legolas, come on!" I was running while holding his hand.

"Be careful; you aren't wearing any shoes."

"I didn't wear shoes most of the time I ran around Lothlorien. Besides, Frodo is awake. I can feel it." Gimli reached the door to the Hobbit's room. He laughed heartily and entered. Legolas and I reached the doorway. We stood there for a moment. Frodo looked up and saw us. His eyes looked down at our hands that were intertwined. I dragged the ellon inside. He stood at the foot of the bed.

I, on the other hand, went to the head and grabbed onto Frodo. I hugged him and he hugged back. Pippin sat up and hugged me. Merry then reached over and hugged me. Yes, it was a hugging fest. "Ariane, it's good to see you." I pulled away from the group hug. "I'm glad that you and Legolas finally got together." I blushed.

"Okay, how many of you thought that we were going to get together?" The room was silent. "Oh my gosh, you all thought this?"

"Galadriel told some of us her vision of you. She saw the two of you getting married. Which I assume has already been set in motion." I turned and saw Aragorn walk in.

"Aragorn!" We all began to talk about everyone's adventures along the way. There was laughter and tears, but most of all, there was peace among us now that the Ring had been destroyed. The threat of the end of life was gone. The promise of new life was shining brightly enough for all of Middle Earth to see. It was the beginning of the Fourth Age.


	38. Chapter 38

"Now come the days of the king." Gandalf lowered the crown onto Aragorn's head. "May they be blessed." The new king stood up and turned around. Cheers and clapping erupted.

"This day does not belong to one man but to all. Let us together rebuild this world… that we may share in the days of peace." More cheering and more clapping, ended the short period of silence when he finished speaking. Flower petals fell out of nowhere. Amongst the crowd, I spotted Eowyn and Faramir. They were newlyweds. Aragorn sang the song that many kings of the past sang after they were crowned king.

After he finished, he began to wander down a path through the crowd. He saw Eomer and bowed slightly. He continued and came up to Legolas and I. He was wearing his classic silver shirt. I was wearing a silver dress that matched his shirt. There were white beads embroidered onto the fabric. On my feet were white sandals. We had gotten married a few days ago. Elves from Mirkwood followed the two of us. Aragorn placed a hand on the ellon's shoulder. The two of us smiled, and then we stepped aside gesturing behind us.

The king looked past us confused. The Mirkwood Elves parted. Aragorn saw Lord Elrond of Rivendell and a figure hiding behind a banner. It slowly moved away to reveal Arwen Evenstar- alive and well. She began to walk towards him and he to her. When they reached each other, the elleth bowed her head in reverence to the new king. He lifted her head and gazed into her eyes. The king grabbed the banner and handed it to someone standing near him.

Immediately, Aragorn planted his lips against hers. Arwen wrapped her arms around the Man she loved. People around them began to clap. Aragorn spun the two around. When they finished kissing, they just stared at the other; glad to finally be together.

They walked through the crowd together- hand in hand. I am certain there will be another wedding on the way, and Gondor would have a Queen. They came in front of the four Hobbits. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam bowed in respect. "My friends…," Aragorn trailed off. The four stood back up straight. "You bow to no one." He knelt down, and everyone followed suit.


	39. Chapter 39

Several years passed. I was on the shore of the Grey Havens. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn stood to my left, and Lord Elrond stood to my right. Legolas was keeping a watchful eye for Gandalf and five Hobbits. I saw him turn around and smile.

Watching the four familiar Hobbits guiding the new face made me feel peaceful. I was ready to leave Middle Earth. Since the Ring was destroyed, I had gotten married, watched Aragorn and Arwen and Faramir and Eowyn get married, and traveled to the Shire to watch Samwise Gamgee get married to the love of his life, Rosie Cotton. In the four short years of the Fourth Age, I had given birth to a beautiful daughter. She was named Galaielle after my mentor. My daughter showed signs of having the gift of sight at the age of two and was learning from the Lady of Light. I held her in my arms.

I heard the elderly Hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins gasp. "Well, here's a sight I've never seen before." He nodded his head toward the three great Elves. Probably the oldest Hobbit of all time, he smiled at me. I was a new face to him as well. As I looked into his eyes and saw all of his adventures, him writing his book, finding the ring, and more.

"The power of the Three Rings is ended. The time has come for the dominion of Men." Galadriel was ready to go back to Valinor. She was ready to finally be accepted to return.

"I aeair iallabair ammen." (The sea calls us home.) Lord Elrond opened his arms in welcome. Bilbo smiled and nodded happily.

"I think I'm quite ready for another adventure." He walked confidently to the boat. Elrond followed him, and Galadriel and Celeborn followed him.

Walking up to the four Hobbits, I hugged them. I placed a kiss on each of their heads, but I gave Pippin a kiss on the cheek. "This is not goodbye to you. I have looked into your future. In many years, you will join us in Valinor. You will travel with Legolas and Gimli."

"Legolas is not going?" Pippin looked at me confused.

"He has found Elves in Ithilian and is going to help them rebuild their home. Do not worry. I will be fine in the years to come." I hugged them all again. Pippin had a few tears that were threatening to fall. Gandalf turned to the Halflings.

"Farewell… my brave, young Hobbits. My work is now finished." Tears began to fall from their eyes. "Here at last, on the shores of the sea comes the end of our Fellowship. I will not say, 'Do not weep,' for not all tears are an evil." Gandalf turned around and headed for the ship. When he was halfway there, he turned around and said, "It is time, Frodo."

I did not dare to watch the tearful goodbyes that would happen. Instead, I looked to the ellon I was in love with. "You will take care of yourself?" He smiled.

"I swear to you I will." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Then he looked down at our daughter. His lips placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Goodbye, Adar," she said and hugged him. When he put her down, she walked onto the boat and was picked up by Celeborn. He loved her like a daughter just like he did with me. I was glad she had someone other than her mother and father to talk to.

"Grow up to be a strong and beautiful elleth like your mother."

"She will. I fear that she will be childlike for most of her life like me." He laughed a little.

"That will be fine." He gazed into my eyes. I looked into his future. When my eyes and hair went back to their natural colors, Legolas looked at me confused. "I will look for your coming on the fourteenth of May in the year 121 of the Fourth Age. You will see me standing on the shores with a surprise." He rolled his eyes in defeat. He would not be able to get information out of me.

"Do not worry, I won't be coming alone." I smiled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Sadly, I knew that it was soon time to leave. "Im mela." (I love you.) I joined Gandalf and Frodo and walked onto the ship to Valinor. "Legolas," I shouted. He ran to the side of the pier as the boat was leaving. I threw my locket with Haldir's ashes to him. "Make sure you bring that back to me." He nodded. As comfort to every one of my friends, I sang the song about going to Valinor. Galadriel immediately joined in.

"Lay down

Your sweet and weary head

Night is falling

You have come to journey's end

Sleep now

And dream of the ones who came before

They are calling

From across a distant shore

Why do you weep

What are the tears upon your face

Soon you will see

All of your fears will pass away

Safe in my arms

You're only sleeping

What can you see

On the horizon

Why do the white gulls call

Across the sea

A pale moon rises

The ships have come

To carry you home

And all will turn

To silver glass

A light on the water

All souls pass

Hope fades

Into the world of night

Through shadows falling

Out of memory and time

Don't say

'We have come now to the end'

White shores are calling

You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms

Just sleeping

What can you see

On the horizon

Why do the white gulls call

Across the sea

A pale moon rises

The ships have come

To carry you home

And all will turn

To silver glass

A light on water

Grey ships pass

Into the West"

When we finished singing, I had tears going down my cheeks. Galaielle and I stayed at the back of the boat, waving until we could see them no more.


	40. Chapter 40

Once we reached the shores of the Undying Lands, I was awe struck. I looked at the large palace ahead of us. It was big enough to make Minas Tirith look tiny in comparison. The trees were tall and strong; some even had flowers blooming. In the distance I heard what sounded like a waterfall. I saw many Elves walking around in peace. "Ariane!" I was taken aback. I heard a voice that I had not heard for years. My eyes swept the docks, until they landed on a familiar and loved face. Tears came to my eyes, and I shouted:

"Haldir!" I saw that the Valar had given him a body. He looked just like he had back in Lothlorien. I had not expected to see him here, but then again, the souls of Elves lost to death were always returned here. By his side I saw Boromir. It looks like the Valar had allowed him to enter the Undying Lands. "Galaielle, come here." She walked up to me. I picked her up. "Do you see that ellon there waving?" She nodded. "His name is Haldir. He is my oldest brother. That means he is your uncle."

Her eyes lit up. "Uncle Haldir!" He stopped waving for a second.

"I'm an uncle?" I nodded. He smiled brightly. I could tell he was glad to be an uncle and that I had had a good life before taking the last ship to Valinor. As the boat reached the pier and several Elves started helping everyone get off. Haldir rushed up to me. I immediately opened my arms to embrace him. "It's been too long. I wondered if you would even come."

Galaielle ran up and hugged him as well. "I had always planned on coming." Haldir looked behind me. He bowed as Galadriel and Celeborn got off. Elrond helped Bilbo walk across the plank that connected the ship and the pier. Haldir bowed again.

"Haldir, it is wonderful to see you." Gandalf joined us. I turned to the boat just as Frodo was walking off. "Come Frodo, do not be nervous in this new place." Haldir was confused.

"They were given permission by the Valar. They deserve the peaceful life here after all they've been through. I have also seen that the other members of the Fellowship will join us." Haldir nodded and then looked around.

"Where is Legolas? Did he stay," Boromir asked.

"I told him to take care of you," Haldir said loudly. I told him about the Elves that were in need of help and that Legolas was helping them rebuild the home.

"He will be joining us in the years to come." Haldir gave me a worried look. "Do not worry. I will be fine. I have seen how his life on Middle Earth will go. He will arrive in a boat made by him, but he won't be alone."


	41. Epilogue

I was standing on the same pier that I had gotten off of. Galaielle's appearance was that of a teenager. "When are they coming?" She was hopping up and down in anticipation. "Are they going to be here soon?"

"Calm down. If you want to know, look for it." She stopped jumping and took a deep breath. Her hair was blonde like her father's. Galaielle's eyes became white like mine did when I looked into a different time. When her eyes went back to their dark brown color, she faltered slightly but quickly regained her balance. She had much better control of her gift than I did at her age, and I was proud of her for that. But then again, she did not have quite the same powers as I do. Mine were still the most powerful of all the Elves that were known to have a gift like this.

"Just a little longer."

"Are they here yet?" My shoulders slumped forward in annoyance. Haldir, my two other brothers, Boromir, Gandalf, and Frodo walked up to join us.

"Yes," I said. I pointed across the water to see an oncoming boat. When the ship was docked, I watched Gimli walk onto the pier.

"Gimli, it is wonderful you were able to join us," Gandalf said. "Don't ruin it and cause them to send you away." The Dwarf looked at him and nodded quickly. The next people to exit the boat were three Hobbits. They were old in appearance and age. I said a quick prayer to the Valar, and as the Hobbits took their first step onto land their appearance moved back in time to when they were with the Fellowship. They gasped and looked at their own hands and at each other.

"Sam," Frodo shouted. "Merry! Pippin!" They all looked up to see their friend they had not seen in many years. Frodo ran up to meet them. He still looked the same as when he came to Valinor. The four of them began shouting and hugging. I looked past them and watched as Aragorn and Arwen walked onto the pier. Aragorn's face became younger. It seemed the Valar was willing to make everyone look the same as when we all first met. I walked up and embraced the two.

"It's wonderful to see you again."

"As it is for me as well," Aragorn replied. He grabbed Arwen's hand.

"Lord Elrond is in the library by the waterfall." Arwen's eyes lit up. "He will be expecting you in about an hour."

"Ariane," I heard my name called. Aragorn and Arwen stepped away. I saw Legolas walk off the boat. I ran up and into his arms. "I love you." I felt tears cascade down my cheeks.

"I've missed you."

"I know. I have missed you as well." We parted slightly so we could see each other's face. He placed a kiss on my forehead. He asked me to turn around. His hands came in front of me with my locket. He laid it against my skin and fastened the back. "What was this surprise you mentioned back in Middle Earth?" I smiled and motioned for Haldir to come over. "Haldir?" My brother came and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You did well taking care of my sister, and I thank you."

"Although it is a surprise, Haldir is not the surprise I told you about." Legolas looked at me quizzically. Haldir stayed in place. I walked behind him and picked up the surprise. "Legolas, this is our son." Our son had ashy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He reached out to Legolas who grabbed him and hugged him.

"Where is Galaielle?"

"Daddy!" Our daughter rushed forward and hugged him. She came so fast that Legolas had to take a few steps back to make sure he didn't fall. "I missed you. Oh my gosh, did you know that there is a waterfall here? And there are libraries and gardens…" She continued talking quickly. Legolas looked up to me.

"She is always like that; she never stops talking." He laughed. "Galaielle, let's go join the others."

"What's our son's name?"

"You'll see." When we reached everyone else, I said, "Pippin, come here." The foolish Hobbit walked over to me. "I want you to meet someone." Legolas came forward. He let our son stand on his own. "Pippin, this is Peregrin… my son." His eyes lit up.

"You named him after me," he gasped. "Why would you name him after me and not someone else like a relative? If you were to name him after a Hobbit, then why not name him Frodo, or Sam, or Merry?" I laughed. He paused to allow me to speak.

"I did think about his name carefully. I wanted his name to be special. I thought about naming him after his father, but then the idea of naming him after a Hobbit popped into my head. I knew immediately who that Hobbit would be. I named him after you because you mean a lot to me. I wanted to honor our friendship."

Pippin smiled. "Hello there, Peregrin." My son waved at the Hobbit. "My name is Peregrin too, but you can call me Pippin if you want."

"Mommy told me about you. It is nice to meet you. Mommy calls me Enethrann since we have the same name; it means 'Shire name'. She didn't want people confusing us." My son walked to Pippin and hugged him. At first the Hobbit was not sure of what to do. Then he wrapped his arms around the young ellon.

"Pippin, there is another reason he is named after you." The Hobbit looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Mommy, can we go eat now?" Everyone began to laugh. I nodded. Galaielle walked up and grabbed her brother's hand, and they headed back towards the large palace.

"It appears the Fellowship is together once more," Gandalf said. "We pledged to stay with one another until the end of time. It looks like the pledge has been kept." Everyone smiled at the different members of the Fellowship. From Dwarves to Elves, from Men to Hobbits, the Fellowship accomplished their ultimate goal. "Come, a great feast awaits us."

"Ariane," Sam said behind me. "I was wondering if you would sign the last page of Bilbo's book. I'm going to get the others to sign it too." I nodded. We would need to go get a quill and ink, but I looked through it quickly.

"_There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale By Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings By Frodo Baggins, _and _Samwise the Brave By Samwise Gamgee_." I smiled. "Frodo told me about you two talking about stories after we were gone. I am happy you wrote your part of the story." He bashfully smiled and took the book back, and he went and caught up with the others.

As everyone followed Gandalf, I grabbed Legolas' hand. "I hope you didn't fall for another elleth in Ithilian."

"Why would I? Of course I didn't." Smiling, I replied:

"You didn't even look at them." Legolas stopped walking and turned to me.

"I already have the most beautiful elleth as my wife."

"Relax; I know that you are the kind of person that would love only one Elf." I placed a hand on his cheek. He leaned into it. "I missed you so much. The only way I could stop being lonely, was when I was with our children. I saw you in them." Legolas smiled softly. I guided his mouth to mine. I placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Galaielle reminds me of you." I nodded. "Peregrin has your eyes."

"True, but Galaielle has your blonde hair, and Peregrin looks like a smaller version of you." I hugged him. He ran his through my hair like he used to. "Are you sure you didn't fall for another elleth?"

He rolled his eyes. "There is no one else I would rather be with. You are my love and my life. **You** are the one." Legolas kissed me passionately, showing the love I knew he had for only me. I was his. I was the one.


	42. Extra

**A/N- This is written for ScarletBreezes, a fan of the story. I hope I can write more extras for other big fans. Only I can determine who gets a one-shot written for them. I can tell you that ScarletBreezes left many good reviews, but that doesn't necessarily get you a one-shot. I hope you enjoy this extra chapter.**

I had woken up early in the morning. The sun was just barely becoming visible. Sitting on a soft couch by a window, I watched other Elves beginning their day. Haldir emerged from his home and looked up towards me. He smiled, and I waved to him with my left hand.

My gaze focused on my forearm almost immediately. In the years before I had I come to Valinor, I had suffered on one day each year; the day Haldir died. Each year, I subconsciously added another scar to join the two I made originally. That is, until, I had seen Haldir again. Struggling to hold back tears, I heard footsteps behind me.

"You're up early." Legolas sat down beside me on the couch and kissed my neck. I was quiet. "What's wrong?" Continuing to stay silent, the tears finally cascaded down my cheeks. "It's the anniversary, isn't it?" I nodded. "Should I hide all the blades?"

"No, I haven't cut myself since I came to Valinor." I turned around. "I will be okay. It's just that…" My voice cracked slightly. "Today marks two hundred years since he died." I felt my husband pull me towards his chest. "Each time this day comes again, I feel the pain all over again as if I am reliving that day over and over."

"It's okay. You'll be fine. Both Haldir and I are here with you."

"Why won't this pain go away?" I began to sob.

"Maybe you won't forgive yourself for what happened?" I sat up and saw that Galadriel and my oldest brother had appeared. "Everything that happened that day was never your fault."

"But I could have prevented it. If I had listened to you and not fought that battle, you would have lived, and I wouldn't have lost you."

"My dear child, you have grown so much since this happened. Why have you held yourself back by this?"

"Because it's my fault!" The room was quiet. I stood up and ran from the room. I never realized how much I had held in. By the time I had stopped running, I was in a tree near the docks I had arrived at on my first day here.

When my tears had stopped, I looked at the silver dress I was wearing. It had been torn in a few places, but I didn't mind. It is not the first time this had happened. I looked to the sky which had turned blue. Why did I continue to blame myself? I knew I did not cause Haldir to die. As if they had seen I was in pain, the Valar caused the clouds to break apart so the sky was completely clear now.

My eyes turned white at the same time my hair turned blonde. In the vision that had come, for the first time, I saw myself. At least, I thought it was me. I realized that it was not. I saw a message handed to a girl who looked like me. A voice spoke on the breeze that blew by as it read the message in the girl's hands. "When your future arrives, will you blame your past?" (Robert Half)

The vision ended abruptly. I nearly fell out of the tree. Tears returned to my eyes. "Thank you," I whispered. The Valar could tell that I would not be able to move forward on my own. It was about time for me to realize that I couldn't change anything that had already happened. I wiped away the tears that had resurfaced. Something strange had occurred. Every single scar from years ago had completely disappeared. I laughed a little.

"Ariane, where are you?" Legolas had come searching for me.

"I'm up here," I shouted when I saw him beneath me. He spotted me and climbed up the tree. When he had reached me, he planted a forceful and loving kiss on my lips. After we separated, I explained to him what had just happened to me. He smiled as he heard how I had finally forgiven myself.

"So, are you going to blame yourself in the future for not accepting what has already happened?" I shook my head.

"No, in fact, I think I might forgive myself for what I did today." The two of us smiled at each other.

A few minutes later, we were back in our home. My head was lying on Legolas' chest as we lay in bed. Galadriel gladly took on the responsibility of watching Galaielle and Enethrann for the day. Haldir promised to keep everyone away from me for the day. I got to spend it with my husband. It was not long after we had lain down together, that my eyes became droopy. Falling asleep, I was able to hold onto the present, blame free. The past was behind me, and I got to live on happily for the future.


End file.
